Unspoken
by Ethelra
Summary: Akashi has always been absolute—in victory, in power, and in the future that only he can see. But now, for the first time in his life, he is uncertain—uncertain about something that he has yet come in terms with; something that will become far more important than being absolute in victory; something that is better left unspoken.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

The scene before Itō Saya was all too familiar: dozens of teams gathered in the stadium under the eyes of several sports reporters and professional cameras. She glimpsed at the hundreds of basketball players beneath her, their nervous yet excited expressions reminded her of the former members of Teikō Junior High Basketball Team that she had once known. With the Winter Cup opening ceremony coming to an end, Itō walked down the stairs and into the corridor to join her team—Rakuzan High Basketball Team.

"Itō, please take care of the team while I'm away for a bit."

Itō nodded at Akashi's words as he walked away from his teammates who, being fully aware of their captain's leave, were carefully listening to their coach's words about their impending practice schedule. Everyone knew where Akashi was headed, and Itō knew what Akashi had just said was an order―an order that she would disobey.

* * *

Four bright-haired high schoolers gathered outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium where the Winter Cup would be held, their overwhelming presence filling up the heavy air around them.

"You've got a babysitter, Tetsu?" Aomine muttered, effortlessly spinning the basketball on his finger tip as Kuroko, alongside his current teammate, Furihata, arrived at the meeting place that he and the rest of the Generation of Miracles had been summoned.

"Mine-chin also has Sa-cchin though," Murasakibara noted nonchalantly as he muched on his favourite bar of chocolate.

"Satsuki's got nothing to do with this."

"By the way, Midorima-cchi, why do you have scissors?" Kise interrupted, his eyes glued to his phone.

"It's obviously my lucky item, you idiot," Midorima replied matter-of-factly.

"Eh—Anyway, it's dangerous. I wish you wouldn't walk around with them out like that."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Kuroko interrupted, even though, as usual, his presence did not have any effect on the flow of the conversation and was instead overshadowed by the Kise's ringing phone.

"Your phone's annoying, Kise," Aomine grudged. "Is it Akashi?"

"It's…a text from a fangirl."

"...Go die."

Showing no sign of interest in the aimless conversation his former teammates were having, Murasakibara attempted to open his ninth pack of chips but, despite his huge and seemingly strong hands, failed. "Huh? Mido-chin~ Let me borrow your scissors."

"I refuse." Midorima would never give Murasakibara the opportunity to eat in public in such an unrefined way.

"Huh. Kuro-chin, do you have them?"

"I don't."

"Why is the guy who called us here the last to arrive?" Kise complained impatiently even though they had only been waiting for less than five minutes.

"There's no need to be upset." Midorima pushed his glasses up with his long, slender fingers. "That's how he is."

Aomine sighed, recalling a familiar scene back in Teikō Junior High.

"I apologise that I've kept you all waiting."

A calm, firm voice came from behind them; the main character had finally arrived.

"Akashi-kun." Kuroko looked straight into Akashi's eyes, unfazed by his forceful aura.

"Daiki, Ryōta, Shintarō, Atsushi, and Tetsuya."

The casual atmosphere among the Generation of Miracles immediately intensified upon their first names being called out by their former captain.

"I'm glad to see you all again. I'm deeply moved that we were all able to gather and meet like this. However," said Akashi as he took a few steps towards his former teammates, "there's someone here who doesn't belong."

Akashi's callous eyes diverted to Furihata, sending him shivers that crawled down to his spine.

"I wish to speak only to my former teammates right now. Sorry, but could you leave?"

Never had Furihata felt such an intimidating aura emitting from a person of the same age. _I really want to, but…_ His legs were shivering frantically, but they refused to move. _What's going on? I'm frozen, and I can't move!_

Furihata felt a sudden pressure on his right shoulder, and he strolled his eyes down to find a large hand resting on it.

"Hey, you're no fun. Don't exclude us." A maroon-haired teenager barged in with a mischievous smile on his face.

"Kagami!" Furihata breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm back. We can talk later. But before that...you're Akashi, huh?" Kagami smiled eagerly at the presence of his potential rival. "I'm glad to meet you."

Akashi flew a glance at Kagami, his cold eyes unperturbed.

"Shintarō, could I borrow those scissors?"

"What are you going to use them for?" Midorima was sceptical about Akashi's intentions.

"My hair is starting to annoy me. I've been wanting to trim them," said Akashi as he strolled down the stairs and took the scissors from Midorima. "Well, before that…" He slowly approached his prey. "You're Kagami-kun, aren't you?"

Kagami nodded. All of a sudden, Akashi charged his hand into Kagami's face with the pair of scissors; but before Kagami could react to Akashi's stab, an ash brown-haired girl appeared out of thin air and stood between the two of them, her arms firmly stretched. Blood fell in soft drops from the girl's pale skin; her unyielding eyes were fixed at Akashi's startled ones.

"Itō-cchi!" Kise cried at the sight of Itō being scarred. "Akashi-cchi, how could you…?!"

Kise was dumbfounded. He had always respected Akashi, but by the end of their second year at Teikō Junior High he had started to have doubts about Akashi's policies. Kise was never the person who could hold back his rage, and he would certainly not tolerate what Akashi had just done, especially when the person he had hurt was Itō even if it had not been aimed at her. But before he could vent his anger out on Akashi, Itō broke the heavy silence.

"Akashi-san, I'm sorry that I disobeyed your order, but there is someone that I should take care of rather than the team right now."

For a fraction of a second, Akashi froze. He then turned to the staggered redhead, an almost sinister smile on his face.

"My, my. In light of Itō's display of grace, I'll forgive you this time. However, there will be no second chance. When I tell you to leave," said Akashi as he widened his heterochromatic pupils and pulled his face closer to Kagami, " _leave_."

Akashi took a step back and continued, "In this world, winning is everything. Winners are affirmed completely, and losers are denied completely." He started cutting his fringe nonchalantly. "I've never lost at anything before, and I never will. Because I always win, I'm always right. I show no mercy to those who oppose me, not even my own parents."

Itō tilted her head down, her saddened eyes hidden by the soft strands of her fringe. She knew what Akashi had just said was only a part of the conviction he firmly held, a twisted part that had started dominating him since the end of their second year at Teikō.

"Well, Itō and I will be leaving. I just wanted to say hello to everyone today."

"What?" Aomine stood up. "Don't be ridiculous, Akashi! You called us just for that? And you've even injured Itō without apologising!"

"Aomine-san, it's fine. Please don't worry about it." Itō smiled and made a slight bow to the Generation of Miracles. "It's been a while, everyone. I hope you are all doing well in your respective high schools."

"It's been a while, Itō-san," greeted Kuroko.

"It's been a while, Itō. It seems like you haven't changed much," Midorima remarked.

"You don't seem to have changed either, Midorima-san. Do tell me when you need help with finding your lucky items."

"A-aa."

"Ito-chin~ Being the manager of Rakuzan must be tough, especially with Aka-chin around, isn't," Murasakibara muttered.

"No, it's a very rewarding job. Momoi-san had a tougher job when she was a manager at Teikō since she had to handle you all." Itō chuckled.

"Y-you're the manager of Rakuzan?" Kagami intruded, surprised by this news.

"Yes. Ah, sorry! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Itō Saya. I'm a first year at Rakuzan High and the manager of the school's basketball team. I studied at Teikō before that." Itō made a slight bow again. "Nice to meet you!"

"A-aa. I'm Kagami Taiga. I'm in the same basketball team as Kuroko from Seirin High. Nice to meet you!"

"This isn't the time for introduction!" Kise shouted, annoyed that everyone seemed to be unaware of the blood dripping from Itō's cut. "Itō-cchi! Your injury!"

"She'll be fine," Akashi affirmed without batting an eye. "Itō, let's go."

"Wait, Akashi-san." Itō walked towards Kise. "It's been a while, Kise-san. I'm glad that you seem to be doing well." Her lips pursed into a gentle smile. "And don't worry, I'm fine. I'm stronger than I look!" She squeezed her nonexistent biceps, giving Kise a slight giggle.

"You're weak as always, Itō-cchi." Kise had always enjoyed her natural lameness that never failed to lighten up any kind of tense atmosphere. _It's good to know she hasn't changed one bit._

Itō turned towards the rest of the Generation of Miracles, making a farewell bow.

"I look forward to seeing you all again soon! Please excuse us then."

Realising there was one more thing he had to deliver, Akashi stopped his pace and turned around to face his former teammates again.

"Oh, and I actually called you all to confirm something. But after seeing your faces, I realised there was no need." His lips curled into a smirk. "No one has forgotten our promise, it seems. Everything's fine then. The next time we meet will be on the court."

The two Rakuzan High students left the meeting place.

 _Interesting, Akashi still calls Itō by her surname._

Midorima had always been able to make keen observations on Akashi, even though he was aware that these observations alone were not enough to fully understand his strange friend. Back in Teikō Junior High, Midorima had always noticed how Akashi interacted with Itō differently—it was neither in a way that friends would treat each other, nor was it in a way a dating couple would act towards each other. It was just... _different_.

Meanwhile, Kagami seemed disconcerted by what had happened. Was that really the captain of the Generation of Miracles? Who was this Itō girl? There were so many unanswered questions but all the redhead knew for sure was that Seirin needed to compete with Rakuzan High in the Winter Cup to have the answers revealed.

* * *

"Itō, you defied my order," stated Akashi as he tended to Itō's wound in the infirmary located inside the gymnasium where the Winter Cup would be held.

"...I'm sorry."

Her apology hung in the heavy air between them.

Akashi had expected Itō to follow him, but he did not expect himself to injure her. She had always been the kind of person who would jump into things rashly just for the sake of people she cared about, every time beyond his own expectations, and occasionally to his dismay.

Akashi's hand lightly dabbed on Itō's fresh wound with a cotton soaked in antiseptic, causing Itō to winch.

"I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

Before Itō's surprised eyes was the original Akashi that she had sealed away in her memories—the kind and caring Akashi who showed respect to everyone around him. Every now and then his true self would manifest itself, although these instances had become scarcer as the Winter Cup approached. This had only been the case since the end of second year at Teikō; it had been the opposite before that, with his second personality occasionally peeking through his forever gentle eyes. She was fully aware of his two contrasting sides, two sides that still represented the one and only Akashi she had always known—a reckless boy who had always exerted more effort than anyone else to achieve not only his own expectations, but also those of people had of him.

"No, it's fine." Itō shook her head and lifted up her eyes to the scarlet boy. "By the way, Akashi-san…"

"What's wrong?" Akashi raised his head up, their faces only a few centimetres away from each other.

"Please don't push too hard on yourself."

Akashi's features softened, his lips bending slightly upwards, his eyes fixed on her concerned ones.

"Aa." He carefully placed a small bandage over Itō's wound. "But there's a person here who seemed to have pushed herself too hard just now."

A little chuckle slipped past Itō's lips. "Do you remember the favour you asked me to make back in Teikō?"

"Of course I do." Akashi widened his eyes, putting his original self back into slumber. "That is why I did not say anything when you defied my order."

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kuroko no Basuke_ written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation team for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the anime that are used in this fanfiction.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

17/09/2016: Revised.

Thank you so much for taking an interest in _Unspoken_ and reading the prologue!

*Sigh* I regret not entering this fandom earlier. I am a little too late to the game (as usual), but hopefully the fandom will become slightly more active again as the movies become available by the end of this year or early next year~!

This story will follow closely to the events that happened in the anime, drama CDs, and _Replace_ novels. That's one perk of entering the fandom later than most people, I guess? That way I have more materials to base my story around, haha.

My OC's personality has not been fully established yet in the prologue but hopefully you're able to get an slight idea what she is like. She is polite and not extremely active and cheerful but I do try my best to match her personality well with Akashi's. Now that I've written four chapters (including the prologue), I have a relatively clear idea where I'm heading with her character development and how she will handle things with Akashi with both her strengths and flaws.

Anyway, this prologue actually jumps ahead to the beginning of Winter Cup to establish (hopefully successfully!) the relationships Itō has with the GoM. The next twenty-ish chapters will be focusing on the Akashi, Itō, and the rest of the Generation of Miracles at Teikō Junior High so beware of their silly and serious moments!

As always, reviews, follows, and favourites are greatly appreciated! :)


	2. Your Name

**Chapter One: Your Name**

* * *

Spring—the season of new beginnings—had finally arrived.

Cherry blossoms fluttered in the warm breeze to welcome the season, their petals dancing gently around incoming and returning students of Teikō Junior High, a school that prided itself on its excellence in both physical and mental sports.

Strangely, there was one thing that did not seem to belong in this peaceful scenery—a black limousine that was parked outside the school entrance. After all, Teikō was a normal public school despite its reputation. Students who were walking towards the gates caught themselves glancing at the limousine, wondering who would make such a grand entrance to the first day of school, some secretly hoping that this rich kid would be as good-looking as the ones they had read in shōjo manga.

A chauffeur exited the vehicle and opened passenger side door, making a formal bow.

"But Akashi-sama, is this spot really fine to stop?"

A red-haired boy stepped out of the limousine; his overwhelming presence gathered all eyes on him. Everyone in the scene started whispering in each other's ears: the girls were giggling, all excited and elated about the fact that such a cool and attractive teenager would be studying in the same school as them; the boys, too, could not deny that they were curiously attracted to this mysterious first year.

"Yes," Akashi replied to his chauffeur. "Also, I won't need a chauffeur tomorrow."

"But your father will…"

"It's not about father." He flickered his scarlet eyes to his uninvited audience. "Besides, if every morning were like this, I'll be mocked."

Akashi shifted his attention back his chauffeur, his lips forming a soft smile. "Let school at least be somewhere I have freedom."

Freedom and failure were two concepts that Akashi had not been, or rather, _could not_ afford to fully understand until now. He had always been curious about the two words, especially the former. That was why he had successfully persuaded his father to allow him to attend a normal junior high school with a strong winning-philosophy that aligned with that of his family. As long as he managed to meet his father's expectations, he would be able to gain the freedom that he had always wanted: freedom to spend more time on the only thing his mother had left him—basketball.

* * *

"#8, Aomine Daiki, #11, Midorima Shintarō, #23, Murasakibara Atsushi, and #29, Akashi Seijūrō. You four are assigned to first-string."

A short period of murmuring among the startled first years erupted following the announcement from the tryout all newcomers of the basketball club had just taken. The basketball club was one of the, if not _the_ , best sports clubs in Teikō Junior High and so their infamous physical tests were rumoured to be designed so that no one could ever be assigned to first-string through first trial. The fact that not one but _four_ new members were immediately placed into first-string meant a new wave was approaching—a big, ominous one.

Akashi drew his eyes to the other three first-stringers. What they had displayed in the tryout was beyond his expectations: Midorima had never missed a shot from the three-point line; Murasakibara had an agility that allowed him to get all the rebounds and crush anyone trying to make a shot within the three-point line with his abnormally large body frame; and Aomine was...well, a mere wild beast who relied on his instincts to dominate the court with his limitless plays and skills he had honed. Akashi smiled at the opportunity of observing and assisting these three extremely potential players grow; together they would be able to form an invisible team that he would guide and bring the Teikō Junior High Basketball Team to triumph for the next three years.

* * *

The last remaining petals of the withering cherry blossoms flew past the windows of Teikō's gym where the groans of the basketball club members could be heard. Another long, strenuous practice session had barely started when the first-stringers noticed the absence of a usual dominating presence.

"Mido-chin~ I can't seem to find Aka-chin. Is he slacking off?"

"Of course he isn't, you idiot. He would be the last person to be slacking off," Midorima grudgingly replied to Murasakibara. "Akashi is a class representative and so is having a meeting with the student council right now. Also, Murasakibara." Midorima diverted his eyes to the crumbs falling from the bag of chips Murasakibara was holding. "Stop snacking in the middle of our practice."

"Huh? No way, not when Aka-chin is not here." Murasakibara's sluggish eyes turned away from Midorima's direction. "Anyway, how did you know exactly where Aka-chin is right now? You guys aren't in the same class, right?"

"He's secretly Akashi's stalker." Aomine broke into the conversation, a mischievous grin hanging on his face. His loud voice caused everyone around the three teenagers to start whispering into each other's ears about the surprising but plausible news they had just heard.

Midorima exploded with rage, his eyebrows furrowing and his teeth gritting harshly.

"A-O-MI-NEEEEE."

Following Midorima's cry that echoed in the entire gym was a furious chase between him and Aomine, along with twenty punishment laps shared among all the first-stringers.

* * *

 _Ahchoo!_

It was rare of Akashi to sneeze, especially not when he was delivering his notes in a student council meeting **.** Not that it was because people who knew him would not dare talk behind his back, but rather he had been raised to hold in his sneeze as a general rule of etiquette.

"Please excuse me."

Another silence enveloped the meeting room; Akashi had got used to this complete silence whenever all eyes were on him.

"If there are no more comments regarding this matter, I'll be taking my leave as I have other matters to attend to. Thank you for your hard work, everyone." Akashi gave a slight smile and a bow after rising from his chair.

"A-aa!" The president of the student council nodded vigorously to Akashi's statement. "Thank you for taking your time participating in this...trivial meeting!"

The only person to which the third-year president would describe the weekly student council meeting as trivial was Akashi, a first year whom he had met less than a month ago, a person that had already earned the respect from all the student representatives in the room after he had logically pointed out all the flaws of the current policies the student council was enforcing and the possible solutions to them. This was why everyone stood up and unanimously cried "Thank you for your hard work!" as the first year left the classroom.

The balmy wind blew past Akashi tenderly, caressing his red hair as he entered the empty corridor in which the sound of his footsteps echoed. Since the head coach would be overseeing the first-stringers in today's practice, Akashi did not have to worry that his fellow first-stringers would not be putting maximum effort into their training. This meant he could finally spend the remaining of the evening playing shōgi alone; the last time he had played shōgi was the first week of school, in a small, unused room he had found containing a long desk, a few chairs, and dusty shelves stocked with unread books. He would prefer a proper classroom, though; perhaps he could have the president of the shōgi club lend him his clubroom by winning matches against the whole club, but that opportunity would not come until next year.

 _Pa-chi_.

The familiar sound of wooden pieces clicking against the board travelled to Akashi's ears. He stood in front of the room where the sound was coming from, the same room where he had played shōgi a few weeks ago, and slowly slided the door. In the far back of the room sat a girl by the window, her slender back facing towards him, her ash-brown hair and pale skin shimmering in the evening's warm rays. The stranger turned her head upon the noise, only to find a pair of scarlet eyes locked on her hazelnut ones.

"Ah, I'm sorry. Is this room already reserved for a club?" Her soft voice filled in the silent air between them.

Akashi answered with a slight head-shake and a gentle smile. "No, I apologise for intruding. I was just finding a room that I could spend some time in."

"That you could spend some time to…?"

"To play shōgi."

The young girl's face glittered with delight. "Oh! If that's the case, would you like to play shōgi with me? Maybe a quick match?"

Akashi was startled by the offer of a stranger he had barely met. People had always been careful with their words and actions when they approached him. Yet this stranger did not show the slightest unease that Akashi had sensed all too often with the people he had met. She was merely excited by the prospect of someone who could play shōgi with her.

"Aa. I don't mind."

"Yay!" The girl exclaimed with a huge grin. "That's wonderful! Thank you!"

Akashi realised that he was intrigued by the freshness of such pure excitement she was displaying.

The young girl rearranged the wooden pieces back to their original places as Akashi took a seat opposite of her.

"Shall we start?"

The game began after the two students had bowed and greeted to each other formally.

To Akashi's surprise once again, the same pair of hazelnut eyes that had been gleefully sparkling with excitement just a second ago turned into serious ones focused intensely on the pawns.

She was good, no, _really_ good. Almost every course that Akashi had planned out was halted by her swift but elegant responses, with neither player being able to draw closer to their opponent's king and wield the flow of the game.

From her pure excitement to her calm seriousness towards the game, along with her artful moves that smartly defended his attacks, this girl was an unpredictable existence that Akashi embraced and enjoyed.

However, to win a game one would have to go beyond reading ahead the opponent's moves; one would have to outplay his opponent and aggressively attack to capture the king, a skill that she seemed to lack. And there was something fundamentally different between the two players—their desire and determination to win.

"Ōte."

Akashi's firm declaration of victory was welcomed by a genuine smile on the teenage girl's face, a smile that Akashi had never seen from opponents who had just lost to him.

"Thank you for the game." The girl still had her eyes fixed at the shōgi board, her mind processing the moves her opponent had outmaneuvered. "It's been a while since I last had a game this exciting."

"The same for me," Akashi replied with a warm smile and his eyelids closed. "Thank you for the game."

"Are you a member of the shōgi club?"

That was the same assumption Akashi had of her; she would not have asked if she had belonged to the shōgi club.

"No, I'm not. I suppose you're not either?"

She shook her head as she started piling up the wedge-shaped pieces into the wooden box. "I'm not allowed to."

It must be her family then, Akashi assumed, to not allow her join the shōgi club. Her moves were far more advanced than those of players who would occasionally play shōgi as a side hobby—but she was a mere shadow of a seasoned player: her skills, not perfectly refined and polished, lacked a certain flair of their own.

"Is your father perhaps a professional shōgi player?"

"Eh?" The young girl tilted her head up, startled by his accurate assumption. "Y-yes, how did you—." She ended the sentence with a chuckle. "You're quite a keen observer, aren't you? No wonder why you managed to outsmart all my moves."

"It was not an easy task to outsmart your moves though," commented Akashi as he started tidying up the wooden pieces on the shōgi board. "You managed to block most of my attempts to capture your pieces."

"But in the end you still checkmated my king without me realising it." The edges of the teenage girl's lips lowered. She stared at the shōgi pieces, her small hands surrounding the box that contained the pieces. "It must be lonely to be someone as strong as you, isn't?"

Akashi had lost count the number of times he had been taken aback by this stranger. Never would anyone who knew him remark about his feelings, let alone a stranger he had just met. Emotions were the last thing with which people would associate Akashi, a person who was always deemed rational and right. But had there been times when he actually felt lonely playing shōgi? Had this been the reason why he joined the basketball club and and took basketball far more seriously than shōgi? For the first time in his life, Akashi did not know the answer.

"Rather than being lonely, I've always been expected to be strong, to stay victorious."

"To stay victorious…?" She raised her head up, her bewildered eyes staring at his calm ones.

"I have not lost before."

"Not even once?"

"No, not even once."

"That's…" The corners of her thin lips turned slightly upwards. "Ah, I see…"

Another short silence engulfed the tiny room. Outside the windows, the last rays of the sun faded behind the streaks of clouds that glimmered gently in firelight colours, paving the way for the moon to cast its own radiance in the darkening sky.

"Anyway, it is getting late. We should leave before it gets too dark outside," said Akashi as he stood up from his chair. "Please excuse me as I'd have to leave first." He had just changed his mind; he wanted to visit the gym and check on his fellow first-stringers, making sure that their practice had gone smoothly as he had expected.

"It was a nice change of pace from how I usually spend my time playing shōgi," the teenage boy remarked as he headed towards the door, his bag clung to his right shoulder. "Thank you, Itō-san."

"E-eh?"

"Your notebook on the desk _—_ it's written there."

Itō turned to her notebook that had her name and class written down, a slight chuckle slipping through her lips. "You really are a keen observer."

Before she could ask for Akashi's name, he had already left the room, a rare smile on his face.

* * *

It was the last day of Spring when Akashi got promoted to vice-captain under the recommendation of Nijimura, the captain of Teikō's basketball team, who had been observing the exceptional leadership skills Akashi had displayed the past two months. Not long after, Momoi, Aomine's childhood friend, became the manager of the basketball team under Akashi's request; he knew her expertise in data-collection and talent in analysing sports players' abilities and moves would prove to be an incredibly valuable asset to the team.

The screeching of cicadas began to disperse into the warm, humid air that seeped through the green trees surrounding Teikō Junior High. Two months had flown by since Akashi had last played shōgi, the last time being his encounter with Itō.

"Akashi-kun!"

Akashi turned around upon hearing Momoi's bubbly voice that rang in the crowded corridor.

"What's wrong, Momoi?"

"A-about the summer training camp..." Momoi could barely finish her sentence as she panted heavily after catching up with Akashi.

"What about the training camp?"

Her pink eyes glittered with delight. "I've found an assistant manager for the training camp!"

"Ah, yes."

However much Akashi trusted Momoi's data-analysis of their opponents, he gave himself the benefit of doubt when it came to her cooking skills. He had tested the water last week, asking Momoi to host a training camp menu tasting session for the first-stringers despite Aomine's strong opposition. All first-stringers had suffered from severe stomach pain after tasting Momoi's "specialised" curry, leaving Akashi the only option of requesting Momoi to find an assistant manager who would be in charge of their meals. He needed everyone to be on top of their game in the training camp to prepare for the Nationals that would take place in August, and would not allow her horrible cooking to ruin the schedule he had been devising with Nijimura the past weeks.

"That's wonderful news. Who would that person be?"

Regardless of who this person would be, Akashi knew that another menu tasting session would be needed to ensure that the basketball club members would be well fed in the summer training camp.

"Her name's Itō Saya. She's the same year as us!"

Momoi's sharp eyes instantly caught the flicker of surprise across his face upon hearing the name.

"Akashi-kun, don't tell me you already know her!"

Akashi smiled. "You could say I know her name."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Phew. It took me a while to figure out how to introduce you lovely readers to the lives of the GoM at Teikō and the first encounter between Akashi and Itō.

A big thank you to **Wikked** for your review and kind words! I'm really glad that you found the OC interesting and managed to find the few hints that I gave away in the prologue. The hints mean I already have the story planned out (in my mind) so all that's left is writing it down, haha. Don't worry, I intend to complete the story but I'm not sure how long it would take~ Please look forward to the future chapters and I hope I won't disappoint! :)

As always, thank you so much for the follows and favourites, and reviews are greatly appreciated!

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kuroko no Basuke_ written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation team for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the anime that are used in this fanfiction.


	3. Momoi Satsuki

**Chapter Two: Momoi Satsuki**

* * *

The friendship between Momoi and Itō began with a few pieces of homemade biscuits.

Momoi had always been seen alone in class, her pink eyes occasionally casting envious glances at the food her female classmates had shared with each other happily during breaks. That was why the homemade biscuits that Itō had offered one day during break had struck her heart, literally. Nobody saw the ash brown-haired girl alone ever since—not when Momoi would find every opportunity at school to cling on her. Thus, it was a mystery as to how and when her friend had met the vice-captain of the basketball club.

"Saya-chan~ You didn't tell me that you already know Akashi-kun!"

With her palms on Itō's desk, Momoi demanded an answer from her confused friend.

"I-I do?"

Itō blinked at her friend's sudden assertion, her mind trying to remember all the people she had met at Teikō for the past two months, but the name did not ring a bell.

Momoi drew her face closer to Itō as her pink eyes stared at her friend with suspicion.

"M-Momoi-san? Your face is getting too close…!"

The pair of pink eyes remained locked on Itō. "You really don't know who Akashi-kun is?"

Itō shook her head. Momoi then pulled her face away and crossed her arms, resting her fingers on her chin.

"But Akashi-kun said he knows your name." The pinkhead shut her eyes, her mouth giving a slight twitch as though she was deep in thought. "Hmm...oh well~ It doesn't matter if you don't know who he is. He's not that important anyway, at least to us."

Itō felt a little sorry for the person her friend had just casually brushed aside.

"By the way, Saya-chan," Momoi said as she slammed her hands on the desk of her already startled friend, "how many times have I told you to stop calling me in such a polite way! We've been hanging out so frequently and I still haven't heard you call me by my first name yet."

Momoi wrapped her arms around Itō's neck, her cheeks brushing against her friend's hair.

"Call me Satsuki or Sa-chan," Momoi said, her lips pouting, "anything but Momoi-san!"

"Momoi-san...I...c-can't...breathe…"

"Ah, sorry, Saya-chan!" Momoi released her arms and heaved a heavy sigh. "If only you weren't raised in such a strict and traditional family."

"Momoi-san..." Itō muttered under her breath. "I'm sorry that you have to bear with this…"

Momoi shook her head and hands. "No, no! It's not your fault at all! Sorry for raising this up..." The pink girl felt guilty for forgetting that her friend would subconsciously show small signs of sadness whenever the word _family_ was mentioned.

"Who's the polite one here?" Itō gave a slight giggle. "So who is Akashi-san?"

"He's our basketball club's vice-captain."

Itō did not remember meeting anyone who belonged to the basketball club, let alone a vice-captain.

"You really don't know who Akashi-kun is, do you…"

Momoi suddenly beamed at her ever-confused friend. "Oh, yea! Speaking of which, congratulations, Saya-chan! You're now officially the basketball club's temporary assistant manager!"

It took the ash brown-haired girl a few seconds to digest what she had just heard. "When did I...How did I…?"

"Remember when I asked you whether you're free for the entire last week of July?"

"That was during yesterday's break, right? When you immediately left the classroom after I said yes?" she commented. "I thought you asked me so we could spend time together and have fu—oh." Itō paused as a sudden realisation hit her; so _that_ was the definition of fun that Momoi had in mind. "Does that mean I'll be the basketball club's assistant manager for that week?"

"That's correct~ You always know what's on my mind." Momoi grinned at Itō, who seemed already tired of the surprises she had received in a matter of minutes. "Saya-chan, don't get mad. I've always wanted to spend more time with you outside school. Please join us!" Momoi placed her small hands over her friend's shoulders and jiggled, causing her friend's head to swing back and forth. "Pretty please? It'll be fun, I promise!"

Itō was dazed, but she knew that her bubbly friend meant no harm; she had always preferred expressing her feelings physically, sometimes in a way slightly too strong. "Of course I will. But before that, Momoi-san, I'm getting a little dizzy."

"You're the best, Saya-chan!" Momoi's face glittered at her friend's answer. "By the way, what do you think of the meals I've made so far?"

Itō hesitated, her mind reluctantly going through the memories of the meals that Momoi had made her try during lunch breaks. "They're...edible?"

"Edible, huh…" Momoi pondered over Itō's reply; she knew she was not the best cook, but she did not know how she fared with the other girls her age when it came to cooking. "But it's not bad enough to make Akashi-kun ask me to find an assistant manager to host a second menu tasting session, right, _right_?"

"Right…" Itō felt sorry for the people who had had to try the dishes Momoi had prepared in the first menu tasting session. Whoever this Akashi person was, he had made the right decision.

* * *

It was another sunny afternoon at Teikō Junior High. A week had flown by since Itō had become an assistant manager of the school's famous basketball team. The students began to swarm in the corridor where the sound of the school bell vibrated; Itō was among them, walking in the opposite direction where everyone was heading. She stood in front of the classroom where the menu tasting session would take place, her mind swirling with thoughts of the basketball club members that she would be meeting later this evening. She rarely had the opportunity to interact with boys her age: when she did it would be with her father in either shōgi study groups or formal shōgi occasions. However, she was never particularly bothered by her scarce interaction with boys; she was merely curious about what it would be like to have fun with both genders like normal teenagers. She was especially curious about the mysterious boy who appeared to know her name even though she did not have the slightest clue about his; she did not recall anyone in class whose surname was Akashi, and she did not belong to any club, so how could she have met him? Itō's question was immediately answered by a familiar air that filled the room as she gently slid the door. For the second time, the pair of widened hazelnut eyes met the calm, scarlet ones.

"It's been a while, Itō-san. I've been waiting for you."

"You're…"

"Oh, I thought Momoi would have mentioned to you about me already."

"Akashi…-san?" Itō blinked a few times as she took a few small steps into the room, trying to regain her composure. "The vice-captain of the basketball club?"

The redhead walked away from the chalkboard he had been facing. "So she did."

He was now standing face-to-face with the stunned girl, a usual smile plastered on his face. "It's nice to see you again. I hope you've been doing well."

"I-I hope you're doing well too, Akashi-san," Itō stuttered. "I wouldn't have guessed that you're part of the basketball club."

"Aa. I would have assumed you'd be surprised by this." Akashi was amused by the confused look across her porcelain face. "Anyway, I'm just here to properly say hello before the rest of the first-stringers arrive after practice."

A chuckle slid between the girl's lips. "You wouldn't be here to just say hello, would you? Is there something you would like me to adjust to the menu?"

Ah, yes. The scarlet boy had missed her unpredictable remarks. "There was, but after looking at the menu written on the chalkboard, everything's fine. There's a first-stringer who is allergic to nuts, so I wanted to make sure it's not included in the ingredients."

Itō warmly smiled. "No wonder you're already the vice-captain of the basketball club."

She had realised from the shōgi game against Akashi that he was an extremely attentive person who would efficiently use all his pieces to covertly approach his opponent's king. After observing and playing hundreds of shōgi matches, the girl could peek at the players' personalities through the way the way they moved their pieces.

"I'm glad that I could meet you again, Akashi-san, even if it's not under the circumstances that I'd have considered."

"It certainly isn't under the circumstances I expected either," commented Akashi as he approached the door, his eyes shut and a normal smile hanging on his face. "Anyway, I'd have to leave now since our practice is starting in a few minutes."

Itō did not turn around to face the teenage boy. "Good luck with your practice."

"Aa. I look forward to the menu tasting session later this evening. Good luck with the preparation."

The sound of the shutting door filled up the empty classroom, followed by a quiet chuckle.

 _What a strange boy._

Itō dropped her bag on the desk, tied up her long, silky hair, rolled up her sleeves, and put on the apron hanging on the side wall of the room.

"Right, it's time to prepare the meals!"

* * *

Under the orange sky, the chirping of crows melded once again with the distant moans of the exhausted basketball club members. The starving first-stringers left the gym without changing back to their school uniforms; they could not wait for the impending menu tasting session, only because they all knew it had not been prepared by Momoi.

The first-stringers scurried in the corridor like hungry dogs, trailing the inviting scent of curry emanated from the home economics classroom. They slid the door and found themselves welcomed by a nervous smile of an ash-brown haired girl who was tending to the tall stock pot of curry soup.

 _She's c-cute!_

"Oi, oi! You guys are standing in the way! I need my food!" Aomine shove into the crowd of frozen first-stringers who were blocking the doorway. "Oh, so you're Satsuki's friend? What's your name again?"

The brownhead turned her attention to the tanned boy that had been whined about all too often by their mutual friend. "My name's Itō Saya. Nice to meet you! Are you perhaps Momoi-san's childhood friend?"

"Aa. I'm Aomine Daiki. Nice to meet you!" Aomine stood beside Itō, his dark-blue eyes casting a long look at the bubbles forming on the curry's surface, a huge grin forming on his face. "Thank goodness they look way better than what Satsuki usually makes."

"Hey! What does that mean, Aomine-kun?" The pink-haired girl squeezed her way into the classroom. "They're not that bad!"

 _No, they are_ , the first-stringers thought unanimously, a sweat drop hovering over their heads.

"Saya-chan~ How's it going?" Momoi leaped and hugged Itō's neck, her tiny nose sniffing at the curry soup. "Mm-mm. It smells delicious as expected~"

"Oi, Satsuki, stop fooling around with Itō. You'll ruin the food that we've been waiting for all day."

"I don't want to, you meanie," said Momoi, her tongue childishly stuck out to her childhood friend.

"Mmm~ It smells good. Is it okay if I eat it now? I'm hungry," commented Murasakibara as he sauntered into the room.

Midorima joined the group of colourfully bright-haired teenagers. "No, you can't. Couldn't you see that the food's not ready yet?"

"It doesn't matter~ I just want to eat. If not, I'll just finish off the snacks that I have left."

"Murasakibara!"

As usual, the purple-haired boy ignored his teammate's scolding and started opening the pack of popsicle in his hand.

The once empty room was now crowded with hungry and tired first-stringers. It was Itō's first time to be part of such a normal, lively group of people at her age; she embraced this experience fully, yet could not help but gulp at the notion that she had to prepare meals for such a large amount of people for the entire week of the summer training camp. No wonder why the basketball club needed a temporary assistant manager.

"The food is almost done. Please wait for a little longer, everyone!"

Itō glanced at the rowdy teenage boys as they took their seats opposite of her, her eyes faltered a little over her disappointment that she could not spot the red-haired boy.

"I'm here if the person you're looking for is me, Itō-san," said Akashi, his face right beside Itō's flustered one. "The curry looks good."

"You keep on surprising me today, Akashi-san." She wondered whether he was the sort of person who subconsciously enjoyed surprising people with his sharp observations.

Akashi replied with a chuckle, "Well, think of it as my return for our first encounter."

"Your...return?"

Before Itō could wait for his answer, her eyes caught the boiling curry seeping through the steamed cover. When she had done take caring of it, Akashi had already left to talk to the captain.

Little did the two teenagers know that a pair of pink eyes had been throwing a furtive glance at them.

"The food is now ready, everyone!"

In a flash, the curry and rice that Itō had placed on the dozen of plates before her were completely wiped out, not a single grain of rice found. Itō blinked at the contented first-stringers, her mouth gaping in shock.

"Thank you for the meal!" everyone shouted.

"That was delicious!" Aomine uttered. "It's been a while since I've last had a meal this good at school."

"But I make you bentō almost everyday." Momoi tossed a glare across the table.

"That's why," the tanned boy whispered.

The first-stringers turned to Aomine with their sympathising nods, some lightly patting his shoulder to show that they knew the dark-bluehead had had it hard.

"It was tasty," Murasakibara commented, oblivious to the conversation Aomine and Momoi had just exchanged. "Who made the meal again?"

"It's Itō-san. Pay some attention to your surroundings, wouldn't you?" Midorima remarked.

"Hmm. So you're Itō, aren't you," said Murasakibara as he turned to face the relatively tiny girl. "I'll remember your name."

"Appreciate it, Itō." Aomine nudged the rather tense girl. "It's very rare of Murasakibara to remember people's names."

"It was decent," stated Midorima as he wiped his mouth with his slender fingers, his eyes closed.

 _Tcch._ Aomine grudged, "Don't put on such a poker face. Just admit that the food was good, Midorima."

"I will if it were."

"It seems like everyone's happy with the food. There shouldn't be any problems with the summer training camp then, Nijimura-san," Akashi said to Nijimura, who was sitting next to him at the other side of the table. "Nijimura-san?"

Nijimura was still grinning widely; the heavenly meal he had just had was still lingering in his mind. "A-aa. There shouldn't be any problems. I look forward to the camp." _Especially the food. No, only the food._

Akashi left his seat and walked towards the still frozen girl. "Thank you for the meal, Itō-san. I look forward to working with you in the training camp."

"Oh, Akashi-san!" Itō was too busy focusing at the energetic teenagers to notice the red-haired boy standing beside her. "I should be the one saying thank you." She gave a bow. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. And Momoi-san," said Itō as she turned to Momoi who was standing behind them, "thank you."

After seeing such a warm, unfamiliar smile radiating from her friend, Momoi knew she had made right decision to ask her friend to become a temporary assistant manager, at least temporary for the time being.

* * *

Shielded against the scorching heat, Akashi stood inside the gym with his arms crossed, overseeing the training his fellow first-stringers were following due to the captain's absence in today's practice. They were barely keeping up with the programme, which the red-haired boy understood as a call for improvement in their stamina this summer.

"Akashi-kun, here are the notes that you asked for." Momoi delivered the huge pile of papers filled with her data-analysis of the school team Teikō would be having a practice match with next week.

"Thank you, Momoi."

The pink-haired girl lowered her head, trying to peep at the scarlet boy's face as he went through the notes.

"What's wrong?" said Akashi; his red eyes did not leave the notes.

Momoi shook her head and hands, letting out a nervous laugh. "I-it's nothing! I just thought you were somehow different when you were talking to Saya-chan yesterday, or maybe it was just my imagination."

"Were you eavesdropping our conversation?"

Momoi let out another anxious laugh. "I just happened to overhear you two talking! Yes, yes. By chance!"

"Is that so." Akashi's eyes were still focused on the papers. "Although I do believe I talk to Itō-san the same way as I talk to you, Momoi."

 _No, you don't._ The pinkhead begged to differ, but restrained herself from blurting out her true thoughts.

"She's an interesting being; that's all there is to it."

"Interesting, eh." Momoi's dropped her gaze to the ground, her long strands of pink hair covering the sad smile across her face.

The sound of sports shoes squeaking on the court vibrated in the quiet air between the two teenagers.

"Um, Akashi-kun."

"Yes?"

"It's not anything important! In fact, it might sound trivial to you but," Momoi muttered, her eyes still on the ground, "thank you for letting Saya-chan become our club's assistant manager, even if it's just temporary."

Akashi lifted his eyes from the notes and smiled kindly at the worried pink-haired girl. "Momoi, you don't have to say thank you. Itō has proved herself to be a valuable addition to the team for the summer camp and everyone agreed. I should be the one thanking you."

"No, really! It's just," Momoi blurted, her hand clenched on her chest, "I'm sure Saya-chan appreciates this opportunity very much too."

She brought her hands down and pressed them together, her slim fingers twitching tensely. "I've always been worried about her."

"Worried?" Akashi raised his eyebrow ever so slightly.

Momoi nodded. "From time to time I see her staring outside the window in class, as if she's lacking something and is searching for it. Her eyes sometimes seem so...lifeless. It's just my intuition, though..." She paused and murmured, "...since she rarely talks to me about her life."

Momoi recalled the first time she and Itō had spoken to each other: it was a month ago in a lesson where the students had been asked to divide into small groups of the same gender. The girls had blatantly excluded Momoi because they were jealous of her popularity with the boys and closeness to the popular first-stringers of the school's basketball club. Itō had offered Momoi to join her group even though her group members had not liked it. Ever since that day, Momoi had started to see more instances of Itō by herself in class, a sense of guilt washing over her. But Itō had not seemed to be affected by the sudden exclusion, and instead had eagerly given Momoi biscuits she had baked one day. Momoi wanted to get closer to her, to know more about her, to break the wall that her friend seemed to have subconsciously built.

"She's my precious friend," stated Momoi. "She's helped me once. And now it's my turn to do the same."

"I see. So you believe this summer training camp may help Itō-san find what she's been searching for?"

"As expected of Akashi-kun! You already knew what I wanted to say." Momoi grinned.

Akashi closed his eyes, a tender smile spread across his face. "I don't know whether the summer camp would be of any help to Itō-san's search, but I'm sure she'll be fine, especially with you around her."

"Akashi-kun…!" Momoi looked up at the kind boy, feeling deeply touched by his words. "Thank you! I—"

A basketball suddenly flew to Momoi's direction, only to be stopped by a huge, dark palm. She could feel the force exerted by the tanned boy standing before her, along with an irritated glance darting at both her and the first-stringers across the court.

"Oi, what are you guys doing? You guys can't just throw the basketball carelessly wherever you want!"

"S-sorry!" An apology was heard from the other side of the court.

"Oi, Satsuki!" Aomine turned his attention to the startled pink-haired teenager. "What are you doing over here with Akashi! I've been calling you several times to bring me the towel that I've been waiting for God knows how long!"

Momoi's surprised face grew annoyed in a matter of seconds. With her fists closed tightly, she stomped towards the bench and grabbed the towel lying on top of it, then stomped back to join the tan-skinned boy. Her trampling footsteps shook the court, causing the first-stringers shiver in fear upon their manager's rage. Aomine gulped as his childhood friend approached him.

"Here's...your...TOWEL." Momoi threw the towel at Aomine's face. "Didn't you see I was talking to Akashi?!"

Aomine removed the towel from his equally annoyed face at Momoi's outburst. "What's up with you? Why are you getting mad at me over nothing? _I_ should be the one who's mad since you kept on ignoring me."

"Because you're being insensitive as always!"

"Insensi—What did I do?"

"Aomine-kun, you idiot!"

Momoi stomped off the gym, leaving behind the relieved first-stringers and a disgruntled Aomine.

* * *

Akashi uttered a small sigh at the end of another typical basketball practice as he ambled in the corridor. The warm evening rays penetrated through the windows and softly touched the scarlet boy's skin. He turned his head to the windows to embrace the light, his ruby eyes stumbling upon a female silhouette heading towards the entrance on the school grounds, one with which he was fairly acquainted.

 _Lifeless, eh._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading the second chapter of _Unspoken_! Hope you all enjoyed it. :)

It seems like this story will develop into a novel or something similar since there are so many things about both Akashi and Itō that I want to explore, and I'll do so slowly since they're characters that don't jump into things quickly and are quite slow at realising some things. *wink*

Also, I don't know whether I gave out the clue successfully but I'll be pairing Momoi and Aomine because that's what the _Replace_ novels have suggested and I do like the idea that they're too close to realise some things~

On to reviews!

 **Wikked** **:** Thank you so much again for your review! :) Akashi hasn't changed his personality yet, but I do believe that he has always carried this authoritative aura with him even during his Teikō Junior High days, although to a less extent. His other personality will start appearing (through glimpses at first) later in the story and Itō will have quite a tough time dealing with it, but right now he's still the original Akashi, or _oreshi_ as some people call.

I also took your advice and made a short summary for the events that I have in mind. I really appreciate your advice! It turns out the Teikō arc that I've planned out will contain at least twenty chapters. I still haven't written the summaries for the Rakuzan arc yet, but it may turn out to have equally as many chapters or maybe a little less. It may sound a lot but there's so much development that I'd like to explore and share with you all in details so please be patient with them! :)

 **Sentimentalcircus1002** , **Rizuki Dhan** , **miyuchan12** : Thank you! Please look forward to the future chapters!

 **007** : Благодарю вас за ваши добрые слова! :3

Again, thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favourites!

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kuroko no Basuke_ written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation team for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the anime that are used in this fanfiction.


	4. Summer Training Camp

**Chapter 3: Summer Training Camp**

* * *

Little did Itō Saya know that being a temporary assistant manager also meant overseeing fangirls who had enthusiastically volunteered to help out in the summer training camp.

"Momoi-san, are you sure that I'm needed for the camp? There seems to be plenty of people who could replace my spot..."

"I...I didn't expect this either…"

With a heavy basket of towels on their hands, Itō and Momoi walked pass the open gym doors where they could hear a dozen of girls squealing names of the regulars.

"It's always been like this."

"N-Nijimura-senpai!"

" _Ya_. How's everything going?" The ebony-haired senior waved casually behind the two startled girls. "A few girls offer to help out in the training camp every summer. How could I refuse when all these cute girls are so eager to help." He let out a big laugh.

 _A dozen is not a few,_ the two friends thought, a sweat drop hovering over their heads.

"Besides, Akashi personally asked me to allow these girls to help out. He rarely asks me favours so I thought why not? The more the merrier, right?"

 _Personally?_ The word rang in Itō's mind.

Nijimura pulled out his phone from his pocket. "Oh, it's already this late! Sorry, guys. I've got to go. Keep up with the good work!" He lightly patted his juniors' backs and jogged into the gym where two giggly volunteers were exiting. Noticing the manager and her assistant manager standing awkwardly outside the gym doors, the two volunteers approached them.

"Momoi, are you childhood friends with Aomine-kun?" asked one of the curious girls.

"Mm? Well, yes…"

"I'm jealous that you're childhood friends with Aomine-kun!"

 _Jealous? More like bothersome._

"Does he have a girlfriend?"

"Eh?" Momoi blinked blankly. _Who would want to date an idiot like him?_

"Did you see the practice match he had just now? He totally shined!"

An image of Aomine playing magnificently on the court indulged their minds. "He's _so_ cool!"

 _C-cool? Are you guys...in your right minds?_

A towel began to slip off one of the baskets the girls were holding as they continued to swoon over Aomine, only to be stopped by a hand that belonged to a red-haired boy that the four girls immediately recognised.

"Whoa. Do be careful." Akashi held the towel and kindly smiled, causing the two girls' hearts to flutter...again.

"Thank you for volunteering. I appreciate how you support our team in the camp."

"P-please don't say that! It's our pleasure to be here!"

Momoi and Itō had already got used to the glittering eyes fixed on all the regulars of the basketball team, so, with an unconcerned look on their faces, they stood there awkwardly like Midorima, who was behind Akashi. Midorima sometimes wondered whether his teammate had ever realised that his politeness would gather unwanted attention from the opposite gender. But then again, Midorima did not care, and he knew for sure that his teammate did not either.

Akashi turned to Momoi and Itō, giving a nod and a smile. "You guys too. Thank you." The two friends nodded back.

"Let's go, Midorima."

The two volunteers continued to fawn over the vice-captain who had just left the scene. "Akashi-sama sure is fine too."

"S-sama?" Momoi and Itō blurted.

"Well, he's already vice-captain as a first year!"

"Both Aomine and Akashi-sama are so cool~ Aaaah, I can't decide which one to support if they were to play a match against each other!"

Itō and Momoi blinked at each other. " _H-haa…_ "

The two friends had certainly underestimated the basketball club's popularity, particularly among the girls.

* * *

Itō would be the last person who would want to hand the players towels after their match had ended, especially when she could feel the envious glances casted at her on the other side of the court. The girls had actually desperately fought for Itō's position, up to the point where some had pulled on each other's hair and screamed at each other, leaving Momoi no choice but to ask her reluctant friend to do it since this decision would receive the least complaints, at least that was what she had thought.

"Here's your towel, Akashi-san. Thank you for your hard work." Itō handed the towel to the sweating redhead.

"Thank you, Itō-san." Akashi raised his head and paused.

"...Is there something on my face?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"By the way, Akashi-san," continued Itō, "Thanks to you Momoi-san seems happier than before."

Wiping the sweat off his face with the towel, the vice-captain opened his left eye and took a brief look at the smiling assistant manager.

"You were the one who asked Nijimura-san to let the girls help out, weren't you? You knew that she has always been alone at school and that this is a great opportunity for the girls to get to know Momoi-san, am I wrong?"

Akashi shut his eyes again and smiled at Itō's usual perception; he was confident that she would find out eventually, and his intuition had never stirred him wrong.

"Who knows."

Itō chuckled at his reply. "You're such a strange boy."

By now she had realised that the vice captain of Teikō's basketball team was someone who would work behind the scenes not only so that things would go smoothly as he had planned, but also for the sake of people he cared about. The results of his decisions would always be highlighted by everyone, but his intentions would often be left unnoticed, possibly much to his desire.

Akashi's calm smile remained. It was his first time to hear someone calling him strange, and he somehow liked the refreshing feeling attached to it. "Now am I?"

The peaceful air between the two teenagers was suddenly disrupted by the pounding sound of heavy footsteps from the gym entrance, along with a peculiar scraping sound of shoes scuffing on the wooden floor.

"Oi, I've brought this guy back." Nijimura dragged his junior into the court. With a huge grin on his face, the captain looped his arm over the disgruntled boy's shoulders, the other hand dishevelling his silver hair. "A second-stringer found Haizaki in the arcades. He seems well despite the cold, so I brought him back to the camp. Don't worry, he's completely healthy, so he'll be joining the practice from tomorrow on." He heavily patted his junior's back. "Oi, Haizaki, come on, say hello to everyone!"

"H-he-y-ya…"

All the first-stringers gave a sympathetic look at the injured Haizaki. _But now he's on his last breath…_

Haizaki used up his remaining energy to tilt his head slightly upwards, only to find an unfamiliar face next to their newly promoted vice-captain staring blankly at him—it was a face that he was rather interested in.

* * *

"How's the preparation going?" Akashi stepped into the empty kitchen and looked around. "Where are the rest of the volunteers?"

Itō lifted her head from the stockpot to the red-haired boy. "Ah, Akashi-san! Everything's going well. I told the girls to go on a short break since I have everything on ha—"

No, Itō did not have everything on hand. The extremely hot lid that she had just lifted slipped out of her hand and fell onto the ground with a clatter, along with a bowl of chopped vegetables her elbow had knocked over the counter. She had always been a clumsy person, Momoi knew that, but she did not want people to know how clumsy she could actually be, especially not someone who had trusted her to do her job well.

Akashi walked towards Itō, his concerned eyes on her embarrassed ones.

"You don't look well."

"I-I'm completely fine!" Itō stammered. Just clumsy. A _bit_ clumsy. "Don't worry, dinner will be served on time." She lied. At this rate, both teenagers were fully aware that dinner would certainly not be served on time.

"Is that so." Akashi remained impassive. "Please excuse me for a bit."

What Akashi did next took Itō by surprise: he placed his hand on her forehead. His hand was cold, comfortably so, and it gently soothed the heat of her skin.

"You don't seem to have fever. That's good to know."

Itō's eyes flickered for a moment. "I-I'm fine!"

"But your cheeks are turning red."

"I really am fine!"

The flustered girl did not know whether what the redhead had just said was purely out of concern or a light tease at her. But then again, he did not seem to be a sort of person who would tease people, at least not for the fun of it. Or perhaps he was?

"When did you start realising," Itō muttered under her breath, "that I…" She paused, hesitant to confess that her body had always been weak, that she failed to perform such a simple task of preparing a meal for the first-stringers who had trained harder and endured far longer than she had. She did not want to disappoint the players who relied on her to replenish their energy. She must continue her work.

Akashi shut his eyes and smiled gently. "Since you handed us the towels the other day. It's nothing to be embarrassed about. You've been working nonstop since the start of the training camp. It isn't strange that your body has not adapted to it yet."

There. He said it. Was there anything that could escape from his scarlet eyes?

Itō let out an awkward laugh, followed by a heavy sigh. "It is embarrassing when you already asked the girls to help us out in the training camp. You were also worried that we couldn't handle the training camp ourselves, weren't you?"

"So you realised." Akashi picked the lid up from the ground and handed it to Itō. "Well, I just wanted to be prepared for the worst case scenario, and it seems like I made the right decision, as always."

 _As always_. His conviction hung in her mind. Had there really never been a time when this boy was wrong?

"What if...someday...someone makes you realise that you've made the wrong decision?"

A smirk slipped through Akashi's lips. "Then I look forward to that day. However, in the meantime, it seems impossible for me to be wrong."

"Your confidence…"

"It's not confidence—it's a fact."

"A fact can be proven wrong though," Itō firmly stated. "Someday, I'll teach you what uncertainty is. I promise." She wanted to introduce him the meaning behind this word before he could make a similar mistake his father had made, one from which her family never managed to recover.

Akashi was rather curious about the glimmer of determination in her eyes. But before he could reply, the two teenagers noticed the soup boiling rapidly from the stockpot again, leaving Itō to tend to it.

"Anyway, sorry for making you worry, Akashi-san. The food will be ready soon. I can definitely handle this myself. I'm stronger than you think!" Itō grinned, lifted the bowl of diced vegetables, and gave a thumbs up, only to find the bowl slipping away from her wet hands again, the chopped pieces back where it had come from—the ground. _Actually weaker…but I guess he already knows._

"Aa, I'll leave this to you then. But remember to get some rest after this, Itō-san," said Akashi as he headed towards door, his tone slightly worried. "And remember not to serve food that's been on the floor. I don't want any of the members to get sick."

"U-understood!"

* * *

Yet another heavy sigh spread across the silent air at night. Itō had lost count the number of sighs she had heaved since the beginning of the summer training camp, each time would be because of a mistake she had made: breaking the plates, handing the players empty bottles of water, misdirecting them to the wrong matches, awkwardly calling both the first-stringers and the volunteers the wrong names, and the list went on. This time was no exception: she had lost the notebook including the match records that Momoi had asked for; she knew for sure that she had left it somewhere in the building in which meetings took place. Itō had underestimated the responsibilities of an assistant manager, but she was getting better with the number of mistakes declining as the days passed.

A tiny light flickered from a distance, glowing brighter as Itō approached the building. There would be only one person who would be inside the building this late—for once this was something that she was confident about.

Itō walked into the classroom where the same light that she had seen was now shining on the busy red-haired boy and the notebook on which he was writing.

"Ah, Akashi-san? You're still here?"

"Mm? Itō-san." The red orbs were still locked on the notebook. "Did you forget something?"

"Yes, just a notebook that contains the records I took for the matches. It should be in this room where we had a meeting this evening."

"If that's what you're looking for it's on the desk at the right far end of this room."

Itō shifted her eyes to the notebook in question.

"It has been lying there since I came to this room. I actually wanted to bring it back to you when I return to the dorm."

"I-is that so…" There was a slight embarrassment in Itō's tone. Without doubt, he had known that the notebook belonged to her. To her dismay, Akashi would be the first person to figure out her mistake _every_ _single_ _time_. When she had broken the plates, the vice-captain was the first one to enter the kitchen and help clean the broken dishes; he was the first person to whom she gave the empty water bottle; he was also the one who had pointed to the first-stringers the correct location for the matches after she had misdirected them. And each mistake would be followed by a string of apologies to which the vice-captain had become far too accustomed. However, he did not seem that bothered by her carelessness—perhaps it was because things would be boring if everything had gone smoothly. It was surely not the case that he liked it, but it might be because he subconsciously found it amusing that Itō had managed to disrupt the flow of his plans in the past days.

This time, Itō's apology turned into a question.

"Akashi-san, why are you still here?"

"I'm just planning a training menu here since I don't want to distract anyone back in the dorm."

 _As expected._

"Ah, I see. If only I could help..."

"No, it's fine. I'm about to finish writing my notes anyway. "

Itō turned her attention to the pile of papers on Akashi's desk that contained a handwriting she had seen everyday in class; an irrational sense of jealousy crept into her mind upon the acknowledgement that her bubbly friend was far more capable and useful to the team than she was.

"Are they notes that Momoi-san has analysed for you through the practices all the first-stringers have had the past days?"

"Aa. I need them for the training menu so that I know what sorts of areas for improvement are needed for each member in the team. Of course, myself included."

"You think to that extent all by yourself?"

"Yes, it helps me to understand each player's style so that I could bring them to harmony along with mine to create better teamplay; that way the training menu will be more effective."

Strange. There was no need for Akashi to explain so much to a person who was not involved in what he was devising, yet he did, willingly and naturally.

"You're working this late and putting so much effort for the team. And yet I…" _I couldn't even perform such simple tasks without mishaps._

Itō had realised the difference between herself and Akashi ever since the beginning of the summer training camp. If his words were absolute, then hers would be uncertain; if his mind were resolute, then hers would be wavering.

A distant conversation with Momoi flashed across Akashi's mind as he looked at the self-conscious girl, her head facing the ground. Which word did Momoi use to describe her eyes again? Ah, yes. _Lifeless._

"And yet you have done a lot for the team." The redhead smiled. "Haven't you seen the satisfied looks across the members' faces after every meal you've cooked for them?"

Itō tilted her head up, her mouth gaping at what she had just heard. After all the mistakes he had witnessed, she thought he would show at least some signs of disappointment and advise her to reflect on her mistakes. Perhaps he already knew that she was reflecting on her mistakes? Then again he had always been like this, even when some first-stringers had not performed up to par in the practice matches. But yes, she remembered clearly the smiles the first-stringers had after devouring the food that she had put a lot of effort in preparing, the odd feeling of her hard work being appreciated, and the feeling of wanting to dedicate everything into a task without thinking about the results.

"I do."

"Then that's good. Besides, I don't usually stay up this late. But since the Nationals are approaching I need to be more attentive to everyone's performance so that the team would remain victorious."

"Is it really for victory alone?" Itō asked. "If that's the case wouldn't you have joined the shōgi club instead?"

"That wouldn't be fun since victory would be ensured."

"Then what you're doing for your team isn't for just victory."

"What else would it be, if I may ask?"

Itō paused. For what reason would he dedicate so much time and effort into the basketball team?

"For fun?"

"Fun, you say?" A glint of confusion lit Akashi's red orbs.

Itō nodded, recalling the carefree expression on Akashi's face as he played on the court. "I mean, wasn't that the reason you started playing basketball?"

A distant memory of the days he had played basketball with his mother ran across his mind. Basketball had just been something he genuinely enjoyed playing with his mother as a pastime, something in which he had not felt obligated to excel, at least not back then.

"...Maybe."

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

The sound of Itō's ringing phone broke the calm atmosphere.

"Hell—"

"SAYA-CHAN~!" A high-pitch scream filled the entire room, causing Itō to jerk away from her phone.

"Are you okay? You didn't reply to any of the text messages I sent! I was so worried about you because you've been taking so long! I told you it'd be much better if I went with you! Did you find the notebook?"

Itō did not know which question she should reply first.

"Momoi-san, don't worry, I'm fine. I found the notebook. I'll be back soon."

"Oh, so you found it? Yipee~ But you're alone, aren't you? Stay there! I'll walk with you!"

"Please don't. I'll be back before you know it!" Itō did not want to cause anymore trouble for her friend, not when she was the one who had lost the important notebook.

"A girl shouldn't walk alone in the dark!" Momoi exclaimed.

"But you're about to do that yourself."

"But I—"

"She'll be fine, Momoi." Akashi's firm voice travelled to the other end of the phone.

"W-was that Akashi-kun? I thought you were alone!"

 _I didn't say that I was alone…,_ Itō thought. "Anyway, I'll be fine! Just wait for me in the dorm."

"Well, if Akashi-kun is there with you, I guess it's fine. I'll leave her to you then, Akashi-kun!"

"Aa. Don't worry about us. We'll be back soon."

Itō wondered how the two teenagers could hear and talk to each other when he was nowhere near her phone.

"Well, I should go now." Itō frankly did not want to bother the vice-captain anymore, believing she had been quite a nuisance to both her friend and the vice-captain. "I'll see you later then, Akashi-san. I'll make up an excuse with Momoi when I'm back in the dorm. Don't stay up too late working!"

"I thought it was quite clear what I meant when I told Momoi we'll be back soon." Akashi rose from his chair and started to gather the already organised sheets on his desk. "Besides, Momoi's right, it's dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night."

"But you're still working and—"

"Didn't you just tell me not to stay up too late?"

A small sigh passed through the surrendered girl's lips. "I can't win against you, now can I?"

"Well, I've never l—"

"Lost. I know. But that's not what I meant!"

Another sigh.

Another pause.

"Thank you, Akashi-san."

Another smile.

"I should be the one saying thank you." The redhead was now face-to-face with Itō. "It's been a while since I've had a conversation that doesn't serve any particular purpose."

"That doesn't...serve any particular purpose, eh…"

"Did I say anything wrong?"

"N-no…" As far as Itō knew, the seemingly aimless conversation they just had was indeed different from all the ones Akashi had exchanged with people. "The same for me. It's been a while."

Another chuckle.

* * *

 _Darn that Nijimura bastard._

Haizaki strolled alone outside the dorm, his mouth blurting nothing but muffled curses at the captain of Teikō's basketball team. That second-stringer had found him at the worst possible time when he was about to beat the highest level boss and woo the junior high girls who were intensely watching him play in the arcade. Not to mention these girls immediately diverted their attention to the annoying captain who was only _slightly_ more good-looking than him as he dragged the delinquent away from the arcade in the most embarrassing way. He would definitely get a revenge on Nijimura—it was only a matter of when and how. If it were not for him and that second-stringer, he would now be hanging out with cute girls rather than be stuck with basketball and a bunch of unattractive and boring guys. Not that he disliked basketball, but he would just rather spend his time doing something else, something more—

 _Interesting_. Before his silver eyes were two juniors walking to his direction, heading back to the dormitory. The red-haired one must be the vice-captain; his red hair stood out among a sea of dark brown and black heads in the practices he had been forced to attend. He turned his attention to the girl beside the vice-captain, recalling a familiar face he had seen the day he had been dragged to the camp. Nobody could stop Haizaki once he had set his target. After all, he had never failed to steal away delicious-looking things that he had seen people enjoying.

He began licking his thumb, a sly grin spreading across his face.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Aaaand we won't have an answer to this chapter's cliffhanger until a few chapters later. Sorry, my dear readers! But everything in this story is in chronological order (except for the prologue) so I won't focus on Haizaki until Kise arrives at the beginning of their second year at Teikō. On the bright side, Kuroko will make an official appearance next chapter!

My life has also been pretty busy lately but I'll still make sure a chapter will be up every one or two weeks. I really enjoy writing this story so instead of trying to update it on time I'll focus more on its quality.

I've got to know much more about Itō this chapter so hopefully all you lovely readers did too! She is (sometimes overly) polite; she is observant; she is pretty; but she is human and has flaws that will be explored further as the story progresses, the same goes for Akashi.

One thing I am struggling right now is trying to switch between the viewpoints of Akashi and Itō (and occasionally other characters such as Haizaki in this chapter) through third person writing without confusing you all. I think I'll get better as I write more chapters so please bear with me for the time being! T_T

And now on to my favourite part: reviews!

 **Wikked** : Gosh, I'm so slow with the development between Akashi and Itō. XD But, as you've mentioned, I think it's more important to build trust between these two characters than to have them enter the love zone straight away, especially when I think what Akashi needs the most right now is someone who would understand him as a person but also add some unpredictability to his life (even if he does not seem to be aware of that). Hehe~ Thanks to you the story will go on smoothly!

 **lili** : It is indeed interesting to see the GoM change. I'll try my best to show how and why they've turned into selfish players as the story progresses. It's rather sad, but some aspects of them never change. ;)

 **babypanda468** : Congrats on completing season 3 (my favourite season because Akashi is heavily featured)! I know, right? Their Teikō days are just…*cries in happiness and sadness* No worries, I'll make sure both the poor readers and Saya will have a hard time seeing and dealing with the GoM fall apart. I'm evil, but I won't disappoint you! :)

Again, thank you so much for the follows, favourites, and reviews! They are all greatly appreciated and motivate me so much! Please look forward to the next chapter. :)

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kuroko no Basuke_ written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation team for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the anime that are used in this fanfiction. Also, there are two scenes in this chapter that are very loosely based on a high-quality Japanese fanmade _Kuroko no Basuke_ otome game called _Restart!_ made by Brilliant-colors. Thank you!


	5. The Phantom Sixth Man

**Chapter 4: The Phantom Sixth Man**

* * *

The black king.

The purple bishop.

The blue lance.

The green knight.

And the red general.

Everything was in place.

Murasakibara would jump over his opponent and give Teikō the possession of the ball during tip off. The two pairs of purple and navy blue eyes would exchange glances with the red ones; upon approval, the ball would quickly be passed to Aomine as the opposing players gathered around Murasakibara. Aomine would then effortlessly bypass the opponent's defense and score the basket. When it was the opponent's team turn to be in the offense, Nijimura would steal the ball and charge to the opposite side of the court with his strong and fast drive. His black eyes would direct to the green ones; within seconds the ball would be thrown to Midorima who would then shoot a perfect three-pointer.

Indeed, the entire scenario just went through Akashi's mind—accurately so—before the finals match even started.

 _Beep._

The buzzer went off for the first quarter. Akashi looked at the score.

26-7

 _Beep._

The second quarter had just ended. The opposing team began to see a pattern in Teikō's tactics.

44-17

 _Beep._

The opposing team was catching up. Teikō's passes were becoming far too predictable.

53-32

 _Beep._

The buzz went off for the final time.

64-51

The audience celebrated Teikō's championship in this year's Nationals with a huge cheer. However, a sigh of relief could be heard from the victory team: their results was to be expected. How else would they be able to live up to their motto of "Ever-Victorious"?

Akashi, Nijimura, and the two coaches, Shirogane and Sanada, nodded at each other in silent agreement: they knew all too well the reason Teikō had won was due to only a matter of difference between the skills of the two teams.

* * *

" _Akashi-san_."

What was needed for Teikō's basketball team was a change.

" _Akashi-san_."

To be precise, someone who would go beyond not only his own expectations, but also those of the opposing team.

"Akashi-san!"

The pensive eyes drifted away from the auburn leaves behind the windows and to a student who did not belong to his classroom.

"Good morning, Itō-san."

The same pair of red eyes were now rested at the vase the ash brown-haired girl was holding. "Are you assigned to take care of the flowers for our year this term?"

"Good morning, Akashi-san. It's as you said." Itō placed the Aster flowers delicately into the vase and approached Akashi whose gaze was still following her movements. "It's rare to see you at school this early in the morning."

"Aa. It's sometimes nice to arrive at school earlier than everyone else."

"It is indeed a nice place to muse." Itō pursed her lips. "I see you've been in thought lately..."

"Oh, yes...I guess so."

"Is it about the Nationals the other day? You didn't seem as happy as the other regulars right after the game."

"I guess I did seem that way. We did win, but there were a few scares. If I were to think one or two years ahead, I can't say victory is concrete."

"Is it not enough for you all to grow your skills?"

"Potential-wise, we have no issue at present. But…"

"But everything is too straightforward?"

Her observations never disappointed him. "Yes. What I want is a curveball. For instance, a valued sixth man who can change the game's momentum; a player of that nature."

"Hmm. I haven't seen a person like that in the first-string…"

"That's exactly what I'm a little concerned about."

"But…" A reassuring smile greeted the troubled boy. "Even if you couldn't find such a person, I'm sure you'll be able to find another way to change the course of things. You're not alone. You have your teammates you could depend on to secure victory for the next two years. Shirogane-san and Momoi-san too. Of course, me too, this time as your team's official assistant manager."

Akashi replied with a smile. "You may be right."

Like a pendulum, he started swinging his head back and forth ever so slightly, his eyelids fluttering against his will, and his hazed eyes barely recognising the worried expression of the girl standing in front of his desk.

"If you want...you could take a quick nap here. Since I'm done with my duty, I'll stay here and wake you up once people start arriving."

"No, I'm fine," stated the redhead.

"You haven't slept much, have you? You haven't been looking well lately."

"I thought I've hidden that fairly well at school."

"Not with the dark circles under your eyes," Itō remarked, her tone tinged with concern. "After all the times you helped me back in the training camp, let me be useful for this one time. You probably won't rest anytime soon. Besides, the members won't be happy when they notice a tired vice-captain, will they?"

"They wouldn't notice."

"Come now…"

"Although...it's true that I have work to do until late tonight." The stubborn teenager finally yielded to the proposal. "Then I'll kindly take you up on that offer."

Akashi rested his head and arms on the desk, his face facing towards the windows, and his wearied voice muffling, "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

At this brink of a moment the boy facing Itō was no longer someone who had always held his head up high, or someone who had to be responsible for everyone's expectations on him. He was a mere teenage boy—nothing more, nothing less.

She found her hand subconsciously hovering over his hair, tempted to pat and stroke the red strands glittering under the bright rays, but it ultimately hesitated and pulled itself away, clenching into a fist over her chest. Strange. Had her heart always beat this fast?

The smiling teenage girl whispered in the crisp air, "Have a good rest."

Sadly, her words were never heard by the boy who had already fallen fast asleep.

* * *

"I'm telling you it's true!" Momoi stared firmly at her tired friend. "After practice, you could hear the sound of a basketball bouncing in the third gym when no one is there!"

With a heavy basket of towels in their hands, the manager and her assistant stood outside the first gym where the first-stringers were still having practice after the sky had turned dark, chatting about the rumour that had been spreading around the basketball club lately.

"Momoi-san." Itō sighed for the third time. "Ghosts don't exist."

"But how do you explain the sound then! It wasn't only me. People who passed by the third gym heard it too. A ghost was definitely playing basketball!"

"Even if ghosts do exist, they can't play basketball with the way their bodies are." Itō put her heavy basket on the ground and clasped Momoi's arm with both hands. "Come on, let's go!"

"To where?"

"To prove that the ghost doesn't exist."

"...W-what?" Momoi refused to budge, her legs trembling uncontrollably. "N-no way! You go ahead!"

"Momoi-san, are you perhaps…"

"O-of course I am! What's so strange about that!"

"Should I take a photo of the ghost if I do manage to see one?" Itō secretly enjoyed teasing her friend.

Momoi pushed her friend away to hide her pale face. "J-just go by yourself! I'll be here waiting for you!"

"If you say so." Itō was now a few steps away from the first gym. "Wait for the good news!"

"Saya-chan, you meanie!"

* * *

The mixed sounds of running footsteps and a bouncing ball travelled to Itō's ears before she reached to the third gym. Although unlike what the rumours had said, the running footsteps seemed to belong to more than one "ghost".

She slowly pushed open the door, her calm voice slipping through the doorway and into the court. "Hello, is anyone―ah, Aomine-san. Good evening."

The sport shoes made a final squeak against the ground and twisted to the entrance.

"Oh, it's you, Itō. What are you doing here in the third gym?"

"To find the ghost."

The tanned boy burst out laughing. "So Satsuki also told you about the rumour. There's no such thing as a ghost. Look behind you."

"Hello."

Following Aomine's advice, Itō jumped and shrieked as soon as she trailed the frail voice coming from behind her.

"When did you…?!"

"This guy's the ghost that Satsuki's referring to."

"Aomine-kun, it's a bit rude to say that," said the light blue-haired boy who had nearly given Itō a slight heart attack.

"My bad, my bad." Aomine propped his hands on his hips and chortled. "He's been known not to have much presence around people, which I find amazing."

"You are laughing too much, Aomine-kun."

Itō wondered what kind of friendship the two boys shared. "Ah, I see. And you're…?"

"I'm a third-stringer."

"No, no." The boy certainly knew how to accentuate his lack of presence. "I'm asking for your name."

"Oh, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you, Itō-san."

"Nice to meet you, Kuroko-sa―h-how did you know my name?"

"Because you're the new assistant manager...and my classmate."

"You are in my class?!" The ash brown-haired girl felt rather embarrassed by the revelation.

"We've been in the same class for half a year…"

"I'm so sorry! I...didn't notice…" Itō apologised, hands clapping together, head tilting towards the ground, and eyes staring at the worn-out shoes that Kuroko was wearing. _Someone who practises everyday but whose skills and presence are not noticed by others. Maybe…just maybe..._

"It's fine. I'm used to it."

"By the way, Kuroko-san. You stay behind to practise every night, don't you?"

"I do. How did you..."

"Your shoes show." Itō's hazelnut eyes lit up. "So you really are the rumoured ghost...the ghost that a certain person might be looking for."

"Huh. Who's that person?" Aomine never truly understood what was going on in the mind of Momoi's friend.

"You'll know in time." The girl turned to Kuroko, her kind smile glinting in the fluorescent light. "Don't worry, even though you're in the third-string, I'm sure your efforts won't be wasted as long as you keep on working hard."

"Really? Do you think so...?"

"Itō's right, and you have me practising with you every day. We will definitely stand on the court together someday." Aomine draped his arm over his friend's shoulder and grinned widely.

"Standing on the court together someday…" Itō pondered over the possibility. "Actually, that really might come true."

Kuroko smiled, deeply touched by their words of encouragement. "Thank you, Aomine-kun and Itō-san."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Itō pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Kuroko-san, is it okay if I take a photo of you?"

"A photo of me?"

"What's that for?"

"It's to show Momoi-san who the "ghost" really is. She is still waiting for me outside the first gym."

Aomine mischievously snickered. "If that's the case, add me in! I bet you 100 yen Satsuki would only be able to spot me in the photo."

"I'm placing a 500 yen bet on that."

"Wait. What if we both win?"

"Then I'll receive a profit of 400 yen?"

Kuroko realised that if there was one thing Aomine and Itō had in common, it would be the amount of pleasure they derived from teasing their poor friend...and perhaps himself.

* * *

"The test for raising a string is today?"

"Yes. It should be happening for the second and third-string today," Akashi replied to Aomine while he pulled off his shirt drenched with sweat. "I wonder how many are going to be raised to the first-string."

"I see. Alright!"

The vice-captain caught a glimpse at his teammate rising from his chair and dashing out of the changing room. A conversation he had exchanged with Itō a few days ago suddenly crossed his mind.

" _Itō-san, do you know where Aomine has gone for practice lately? I haven't been seeing him."_

" _Oh, Aomine-san has been practising in the third gym recently."_

" _The third gym?"_

" _Yes, do visit him there sometime soon. You might be able to find what you're looking for there."_

Based on what Itō had said and how Aomine had just oddly reacted to the test for raising a string, there must be someone from the third-string that might interest him. Even so, there was no need to hurry: he would find an answer to this mystery very soon.

"Oh, Mine-chin, you're still going to practice?" With a _Maiubo_ on his hand, Murasakibara muttered to a hurried Aomine in the corridor.

"Yea! Next time I go against Inoue, I'm definitely going to get 20 points against him!" Aomine answered with a determined grin.

"Eh. Do your best then."

The apathetic boy entered the changing room to find all anxious eyes on the disgruntled greenhead who was spraying the lockers with a deodorizer. "Mido-chin, what are you doing?"

"There has been a bad smell here lately."

"Oh, that."

Quivering in fear, Aomine darted out of the corridor at the perfect time.

"Mine-chin and Zaki-chin piled their unwashed t-shirts in a locker."

Midorima whipped his head to the door, his mouth gaping and his brows creasing in rage at the tanned boy. He was certainly getting impatient at the number of times his teammate had managed to escape from him.

"AOMINEEEE!"

* * *

Murasakibara welcomed the end of another tiring practice session with a big yawn, his sluggish eyes wandering around the changing room and finally noticing that something, no, _someone_ , was missing.

"Where is Mine-chin? He wasn't in the first gym in today's practice and he isn't here either."

"Don't tell me that you _just_ realised that. Aomine hasn't been practising in the first gym since last week," Midorima replied.

"Oh, really? Huh." The purplehead turned to Akashi. "Aka-chin, do you have any idea where Mine-chin is?"

"Yes, Aomine is in the third gym."

"The third gym?" Both Midorima and Murasakibara repeated in surprise.

"Yes, and that's where we'll be heading to when you two are done in the changing room."

Akashi did not have look up to see how the polar opposites reacted to his suggestion: the green-haired boy lifted his brows in question while the purple-haired teenager let out another yawn. He also understood that, despite their contrasting natures, the two very same teammates had a peculiar habit of carrying an item with them wherever they went: one with his lucky item and another with a pack of snacks.

Today was no exception: the three bright-haired teenagers entered the third gym, one with a spray on his palm and another holding a pack of chocolate sticks.

"Aomine." Akashi's firm voice filled in the court. "I thought I haven't seen you lately, so you were practising at a place like this."

"Oh, Akashi." The pair of sport shoes came to a halt. "Yea, since the gyms reserved for the first and second-stringers are too crowded these days."

"I'm surprised you practise so much by yourself," Murasakibara mumbled, a chocolate stick in his mouth.

"I'm not alone."

At Aomine's words, Akashi twisted his head and gaped slightly at the sight of a light blue-haired boy standing behind him.

"W-wait, seriously? Since when were you there?" Murasakibara uttered.

"He is…?" _Is he perhaps..._

"Tetsu. He's always been practising with me."

"I haven't seen his face before," stated Midorima.

"That's because he isn't in the first-string. He's still in the third-string."

"Oh, is that so." Murasakibara had just finished munching on his last stick. He wanted more. "Let's go already. I still need to visit the convenience store."

"No, I'm a little interested in him." _He is, after all, the person she is referring to._

Midorima threw a glance at his teammate who was always a few steps ahead of everyone, including himself.

A mysterious smile graced Akashi's face as he stepped closer to Kuroko. "You're interesting. It's my first time seeing a type like you. You may be hiding a talent that none of us has ever seen."

Kuroko stared blankly at the redhead.

"I'm sorry, but could you come with me to the second gym?" The vice-captain then turned to his teammates. "You two should head back home first. It's getting late."

* * *

Rather than his lack of presence, it would be more accurate to say that Akashi's fascination with Kuroko stemmed from his consecutive failures in throwing the ball into the basket.

"This is my first time seeing someone devoted to basketball as much as you and don't have his efforts pay out."

Kuroko froze at Akashi's remark, his fingers quivering while clutching the basketball. "I-I'm sorry...I'm not in the mental state to accept that statement."

Akashi lifted his hands and shook them. "I apologise. That's not what I meant. I find it laudable."

Kuroko could not tell whether what the vice-captain had just said was sarcasm.

"Your motor skills aren't terrible. Your career and amount of practice are enough to call you a veteran. Yet still, I feel nothing looking at you." Akashi's black pupils dilated to match up with his unusually vicious smile. "This is quite a peculiar thing. Regardless of what kind of person you are, your seasoned aura should show through by practising hard, yet you lack that. But this is not a fault; it's an advantage for you. If you can capitalise on it, it's sure to become an enormous weapon for the team."

"Capitalise on the lack of presence?" Kuroko was confused by the vice-captain's advice. "Is such a thing even possible?"

"I'm sorry, but this is as much as I can say."

Akashi grabbed his bag from the floor and toss it over his shoulder. It was not the case that the redhead thought he had given out enough clues, but he himself did not have a clear idea on how Kuroko could make use of his lack of presence yet.

"When you find the answer, come find me." His cold eyes reverted back to gentle ones as he smiled at the still puzzled Kuroko. "I can't force you. It's up to you whether you want to join the team."

* * *

A soft voice reached Akashi's ears the moment he stepped outside the gym.

"So what do you think of Kuroko-san?"

He would not need to turn his head to find out to whom this voice belonged.

"You've heard all of that, Itō-san?"

He also would not need to open his eyes to know that his question was responded with a smile.

"By chance. I just wanted to hand you the notes Momoi told me to give you, and I assumed that you were here since I couldn't find you in the first gym or the changing room. So here you go." Itō handed Akashi the notes that she had been holding over her chest.

"I see. Thank you."

The two teenagers strolled beside the sports ground, enjoying the quiet air that they had once shared in the summer training camp.

"Do you think he will transform?"

"Who knows? I felt the possibility, but he's a stranger I just met; far from a friend. I have no obligation to tend to this and that."

Itō threw her head to Akashi's direction, her widened eyes trying to flicker away the disbelief of what she had just heard. It was true that he was far too busy to tend to minor details, yet the Akashi Itō had known would still eventually take care of them, even if it were not his duty to do so. Or had she been wrong all along? Her wavering thoughts were further disoriented by the pair of foreign eyes that stared aloofly into the dark night.

"I only let the string hang down. Whether or not he can use it to climb up depends on him."

"Akashi-san…?"

Was it Itō's imagination, or was there another person within Akashi?

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kuroko no Basuke_ written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation teams for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the manga and anime that are used in this fanfiction.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

As always, thank you so, _so_ much for all the reviews, favourites, and follows! I greatly appreciate them! :D

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter even though it's rather short compared to the other ones! Next chapter will still be focused around Kuroko (and it'll be the longest chapter in this story...so far); it will definitely be up by the end of next week. Do get excited for the two chapters after next, my lovely readers, because they will be centred on Akashi's background which I think was not explored enough in both the anime and manga (since it's revolved around basketball and not Akashi, haha). I'm so excited to share those two chapters with you all~!

Time to respond to the wonderful reviews!

 **onewhoreadstoomuch** : Fangirls can really be scary even in real life. I've witnessed that before so I have an idea what they can do! Hehe, Akashi _always_ plans things around people he cares about; he just doesn't like making things obvious. *wink* I agree, I'm having so much fun thinking and writing about the GoM at that age.

 **Wikked** : Thank you as always~! Please look forward to the future chapters! I already have rough drafts for the next four chapters so they will definitely be up soon!

 **Lyrakon** : Aww thank you~! I'm glad that you enjoyed the interactions between Akashi and Itō because it actually takes me the longest time to think about how to make their interactions seem real and plausible with Akashi's current personality. I'll slowly reveal to you Itō's background as the story progresses, but right now the story will still be focused around Akashi and the GoM!

 **TheLunaGoddess** : Aah thank you so much! The next four or five chapters will definitely be up the next few weeks so please look forward to it! I hope I won't disappoint. :)


	6. Observations

**Chapter 5: Observations**

* * *

" _He's a stranger I just met. Far from a friend. I have no obligation to tend to this and that."_

These words had been echoing in Itō's mind the past week, words that came from a side of Akashi in which she was having trouble believing. She had once been a stranger to Akashi, yet he had always lent a helping hand even if it were not his duty to do so, and she knew for certain that he would do the same for anyone who needed it, doing so every time behind the scenes.

Because it was his nature, or so she believed.

Stepping out of the supermarket, Itō shook her head to clear up her muddled mind. Her eyes travelled to the heavy bag of groceries she was holding, her lips pursing into a smile. Tonight would not be another night that she would feel perturbed by Akashi's words. After all, it was a special night: a night when she would finally have company for dinner.

The teenage girl hummed to a soft tune as she paced along the buzzling street, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice that had once caused shivers running down her spine.

"Itō-san, good evening."

She twisted her head and found an aqua-haired boy picking up the grocery bag lying on the ground.

"Your grocery bag fell."

"K-Kuroko-san, good evening. And thank you." Itō took the bag from Kuroko with one hand, the other hand on her chest to calm her pounding heart. "You scared me just now..."

"I'm sorry. But I did call your name several times…"

"You did!?"

"Oh, isn't it Tetsu and Itō! What a coincidence to see you guys here."

The two turned around to the trace the rusky voice coming from beside them.

"Aomine-kun, good evening."

"Aomine-san, good evening."

The tanned boy cracked up laughing. "What's up with the weird politeness, you two? We're in the same year! Anyway, where are you guys heading to?"

"We bumped into each other just now, actually," said Kuroko.

"I see. If you guys are heading this way, then let's walk together."

After nodding in agreement, the three students continued walking their path in the street.

"Oh yea, so what did you talk to Akashi about?"

Aomine's question triggered Itō's mind to grudgingly repeat Akashi's words once more.

"He told me that there's something I have that would be of great help for the team."

"What is that "something"?"

"That I don't know. Akashi only hinted that it has something to do with my lack of presence."

"Huh. Like a secret weapon or something?"

"But I'm not good at shooting or rebounding."

Itō mused on Kuroko's potential skills. How would Kuroko's lack of presence be useful on court? Perhaps it would have to do with outmaneuvering the opponents without them noticing, and this would only be possible with one certain set of moves.

"Maybe passing?"

"Passing?" Kuroko repeated.

Aomine agreed to the suggestion. "Oh, yea! Like a pass that totally bends and stuff."

"Yes, that might be it!" Itō's eyes lit up at Aomine's idea. "Like _hwaaa_!"

She flew her hands in the air and made a _Sailor Moon_ gesture with her thumb, index, and pinky fingers extended.

"Yea, like _whoosh_!" Aomine went with the flow, twirling his arms into several morphing motions from _Power Rangers_ that he had imitated all too often in elementary school.

"...It's fine. I'll think of a way."

Kuroko shifted his embarrassed head to the passers-by who had turned their heads to the two silly teenagers and started murmuring about their childish gestures. As he did, a tiny glint crept into his light blue eyes: he found his destination.

"I'm going to stop by here since there is a book I have to buy for class," Kuroko said.

"Yea, see you tomorrow then, Tetsu!"

"See you tomorrow, Kuroko-san!"

The assistant manager would not have guessed that Kuroko would find the answer in the bookstore he had just entered.

* * *

The brown leaves had begun abandoning the branches, leaving them bare. The strong breeze speeded up the process, whisking away everything in sight, including plenty of students who had succumbed to the cold. Unsurprisingly, Itō was among those students.

A gust of wind greeted her as took her seat at her desk that she had not touched for the past few days, followed by her classmate whose presence she was getting accustomed to only quite recently.

"Itō-san, good morning. Here are the notes that I took from class during the days you were absent."

"Good morning, Kuroko-san." Itō took the notes from her classmate. "Thank you so much for the notes. I really appreciate i-i—"

 _Acchoo!_

"Here." Kuroko pulled out a sheet of tissue from his pocket and handed it to her.

"Thank you. Sorry for causing you trouble...first with the notes, and now with the tissue..."

"It's fine. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes."

 _Acchoo!_

Itō was never good at lying at this kind of things, and decided to change the topic instead. "By the way, any luck on the answer to your play style yet? It's been two months, hasn't?"

Kuroko gleamed at her with his light blue eyes as though he had been urging to share what he had been developing the past month. "I have found some clues, but not a definite answer yet. But it should have something to do with observing and guiding lines of sight. I can practise it by observing people."

"By observing people? For instance?"

"For instance—"

His explanation was interrupted by the girls clamouring and gathering around their classroom door. Towering over the excited girls was a yellow-haired boy whose charming features, Itō assumed, must have attracted them like a magnet.

"Isn't that Kise-kun?"

"Aaah~ He's even more handsome in real life than in magazines!"

"I'm so glad he's been visiting our classroom the past few days! I wonder what he's doing here though."

Itō's attention quickly wandered off from the crowd to the pair of red eyes that had been lingering on her through the windows between her classroom and the corridor.

She had missed those eyes.

The redhead broke his gaze a few seconds later; he shut his eyelids and continued walking in the corridor, a relieved smile hovering over his face.

She had also missed that smile.

A sudden sense of guilt suddenly washed over her. Her absence must have caused burden to him and the rest of the members, and she understood she must make up for it by working even harder for the basketball club before the term ended.

But before she could finish her train of thought, she could sense the piercing gaze from her classmate who was still waiting for her to resume the conversation.

"Ah, right. Like how?"

"Like observing you and Akashi-kun just now," Kuroko said.

"E-eh?!"

"I've been observing how the both of you interact after practice the past month."

"Y-you did?" Itō blinked in confusion. The vice-captain barely had anytime to talk to her after practice, and when he did they had often been alone. So how did Kuroko manage to observe them when he spent most of his time in the third gym?

"Yes. You and Akashi-kun often communicate with each other without speaking."

"...What does that mean?"

"It is as I just said. The both of you use small gestures such as a smile or a nod to indicate things. People have all sorts of quirks and different reactions that they might not be aware of. I observe those and categorise them. I need that to guide lines of sight."

"I see...that's really amazing, Kuroko-san."

"Thank you. But there are still things that I cannot make sense yet with my observations."

"There are?"

"Yes, such as the way the both of you sometimes look at eac—"

"Teeeeetsu-kun~"

Kuroko's explanation was interrupted again, this time by Itō's bubbly friend who wrapped her arms around a new target she had recently found to cling onto.

"You really do come on to Kuroko-san hard lately, don't you, Momoi-san?"

"Well, I can't hold back~ Not when Tetsu-kun is always so amazing and hardworking. He'll definitely shine on court someday."

Itō remembered how Momoi had been staying in the third gym after practice ever since she had discovered who the "ghost" was. Her pink eyes never stopped glittering with fascination at the aqua-haired boy whenever she watched him play with Aomine in the third gym. Itō was also aware that both Momoi and Aomine could sense Kuroko's extremely keen observations on court. Maybe that was why her friend had become completely drawn to Kuroko.

"Besides, he gave me the winning popsicle stick."

...Or maybe not. Itō did not quite understand how a popsicle stick could serve as a final trigger to steal her friend's heart.

"S-sorry, could you get off my shoulders now? I c-can't breathe."

"Ah, sorry!" Momoi removed her arms from Kuroko's small shoulders. "So what were you guys talking about?"

"Oh, right. Then, Momoi-san…"

Kuroko's blank eyes stared at Momoi's anxious ones. Itō flickered her eyes to her two classmates, waiting for either of them to break the silence.

"Momoi-san is the type that stares back when being stared at."

 _That's because the one she was staring was you, Kuroko-san…_ , Itō thought.

"Oh, there you are!"

Itō twisted her head to the yellow-haired teenager who was now standing in front of her desk, bringing along a group of piercing glances from the other side of the classroom.

"I've been waiting for you to appear in class! I heard that you were absent the past few days."

She blinked at the lively boy. "Ah, I'm sorry but you are…?"

"That's mean! Don't tell me you don't remember who I am!"

She shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't…"

"Does the name Kise Ryōta ring a bell?"

"N-no…"

The yellow-haired boy's widened eyes flickered in surprise, which Itō assumed to mean he was a person that she was expected to know, either through his fame or their interaction. Unfortunately for the yellowhead, Itō did not remember him through either way, and she could see the disappointment across his face and hear the astonishment of her female classmates across the classroom from their murmurings.

"Ah, it's fine..." The stranger scratched his head, his mouth pouting a little. "Anyway, I'm here to thank you for helping me out the other day. Here."

Lying on Itō's desk was a photo of a model who resembled the boy standing in front of her, along with a signature and a note that said "Thank you, Itō-cchi~".

 _Itō…-cchi?_

"Treasure it! I don't have any spares!"

The yellow-haired boy waved goodbye and squeezed his way out of the classroom.

Itō turned her focus back at the photo, her mind still completely blank about the winking face on the photo.

"Itō-san, he is…?" asked Kuroko.

"Isn't he that famous model at our school? Saya-chan, you know him?" Momoi also asked.

"I…"

The confused girl continued staring at the photo until the light bulb above her head finally lit up.

"Oh!" She lifted her head from her desk. "He was the boy who screamed in the courtyard the other day because of an earthworm crawling on his shoulder."

"An earthworm?" Kuroko repeated.

"Yes, and I helped remove it from him. But..."

"But…?" Momoi also repeated.

A feeling that she was all too familiar with dredged up a distant memory of her first encounter with Akashi.

"How did he know my name?"

* * *

Kuroko became a first-stringer on the first day of winter.

He had passed the test through a practice match between the second and third-string and demonstrated to all the first-stringers, including the coaches Shirogane and Sanada, his unique technique of misdirection that would be of great use for the team. Akashi was glad that Kuroko had exceeded his expectations, disappearing from the court and changing the course of the ball by skillfully guiding the players' eyes to the ball and away from him with his lack of presence and exceptional observations. If he could secure his place as the sixth man in the team and gain the respect from the regulars then three consecutive years of victory would be within Akashi's reach.

That was why when Kuroko took his first official steps into the first gym, the vice-captain welcomed him with a message that he would want his new teammate to engrave in his heart: "From this moment, you only have one mission: to win."

The redhead then casted a glance at the silver-haired boy sauntering from the entrance.

"Haizaki, you're late."

"My bad. This won't happen again," Haizaki said in a unrepentant tone, his eyes roaming around the court until it landed on the assistant manager who was running through her notes on the other end of the court.

"Heya, Saya. How's it going? I haven't seen your cute face in so long." The silverhead approached Itō with a flirtatious smile.

"That is because you've been absent from practice the past week, Haizaki-san. Your practice session is starting soon; please remember to do some stretches beforehand."

 _Tssch._ "Don't be so cold. I only came to practice because I heard you're overseeing the first-string today." Before Haizaki could cling his arm around Itō's shoulders, she took a few steps away from him, her slightly uncomfortable eyes at his teasing ones.

"Haizaki."

Akashi's tone could not have been more authoritative. He twitched his left eye, trying to suppress a side of him that had not exactly been born yet. He had never condoned Haizaki's misbehaviour outside school and his attitude towards the basketball club, and for some reason he could not especially tolerate the way his teammate had been treating Itō since the night he saw the silverhead licking his thumb as he and Itō walked back to the dormitory during the summer training camp. However, as much as he would like to rid of him, he understood that the team still needed his skills as a starter. If only someone could replace him next year…...

"Yea, yea." Haizaki lifted both arms in the air to surrender to his vice-captain. He took a few steps back, his face still facing the displeased redhead, until he abruptly bumped into a person he had not seen before.

"My bad—wait. Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Starting today I'll be coming here. Nice to meet you."

"What?! Is this for real?"

"Enough with the chatting and let's start the training! After stretching, we'll do some footwork." The first-string coach's order muted the entire court; the practice session had officially begun.

After the practice had ended, Akashi was certain his worst fear came true: Kuroko's lack of presence despite his hard work meant he would have trouble catching up with the first-stringers and performing up to standards in the relatively intense training regime.

With a drenched towel over his flushed face, the redhead flickered his eyes to the new first-stringer and widened at the sight of him bending his weak knees on the floor and covering his stomach with his skinny arms.

"Aomine-kun," the panting first-stringer muttered to his friend. "Is the first-string training always this intense?"

"Huh? You find it hard? It's always like that so…"

"Yes, the menus have numerous activities and they're pretty fast-paced…The third-string training was less inte—"

"T-Tetsu?! Don't vomit here, Tetsu! _Oi_ , Satsuki and Itō! Bring a bucket and a mop!"

" _Having trouble_ " might be a euphemism for Kuroko's situation.

The manager and her assistant rushed to help Kuroko cope with his fatigue. Momoi frantically slid the bucket under his face while Itō gently rubbed his back, her worried gaze rising to meet Akashi's slightly concerned one.

* * *

Without doubt, today's conversation topic in the changing room would be about the new additional member to the first-string.

"No...Impossible…" Murasakibara was the first to comment on Kuroko's first day of practice as a first-stringer for a change of pace. He rarely cared about his fellow members, so his remark meant the newcomer must be exceptional to catch his attention, although this time in a bad way. Grabbing another pack of _Maiubo_ from his locker, the purplehead continued his rare rant, "It's only his first day, but he already couldn't follow to the menu. I don't think he'll stay here for long."

"Yea, I think so too," added Haizaki who was changing his clothes beside Murasakibara. "You probably should go comfort him, Zaki-chin."

"What? You looking for a fight?!"

"Stop it, you two." To Midorima's annoyance, his words could rarely stop the childish quarrels among his fellow teammates. They would only listen to the vice-captain who seldom raised out his voice. "Although...as for Kuroko, I have to say I share the same opinion. Do you think he'll be fine, Akashi?"

The calm redhead buttoned his shirt. "We'll just have to wait and see. It's only his first day of training, and we haven't seen him in an official match yet. It's too early to judge."

Before Midorima could continue his remark on the new member, Akashi was already outside the changing room, his bag slung over his shoulder. "I'll be leaving first. See you all tomorrow."

The three teammates stared blankly at the now empty door.

"Hasn't Aka-chin been leaving us right after practice lately?" Murasakibara muttered.

"It's no surprise there. He's always been a busy person." Although Midorima admitted that he was curious about Akashi's whereabouts recently: there had been days when Akashi would disappear right after practice when no student council meeting was scheduled with the class representatives and he knew the redhead preferred leaving school with his fellow teammates.

"Maybe the vice-captain has found a girlfriend or something," Haizaki joked.

"Idiot, he's not you."

"You think so?" Haizaki's lips curved into a sly smile. "Well, it doesn't matter either way. She'll never be his."

"Just who are you referring to, Haizaki?"

"You'll know in time…" The silverhead looked at the puzzled Midorima. "...or maybe not."

* * *

Akashi slid open the door to the small empty room that he had enjoyed relaxing in the past months. He pulled out the shōgi board and boxes containing the wooden pieces from the dusty shelf and placed them on the desk along with his bag. The chilly wind guided his calm gaze from the arranged pieces on the board to the dry branches behind the windows. The only time he had seen these bare branches being covered in cherry blossoms was the day he had met Itō, an interesting being at first sight, but now an existence he was having difficulty in describing.

Akashi's train of thoughts was derailed by the discordant sound of footsteps coming from the corridor. His eyes glided from the door sliding open to the puffing girl he had been waiting for.

"Sorry that I'm late! There were a lot of notes I had to finish up with Momoi-san so I couldn't come here immediately after practice," said the ash brown-haired teenager as she slung her bag onto the chair's handle and took a seat opposite of the smiling boy.

"It's fine. Thank you for your hard work."

The two teenagers made a formal bow and started their casual game.

"Sanada-san and the first-stringers seemed disappointed in Kuroko-san today."

"Aa. But their reactions are to be expected, especially after seeing how Kuroko performed when I first saw him."

Akashi noted the pair of hazelnut eyes faltering a little.

"Umm...do you remember what you said to me after meeting Kuroko-san?"

"About the skills that he demonstrated in court today?"

"Y-yes…"

"Is something the matter?" He lifted his eyes from the board to the troubled face across him. "You don't seem satisfied with my answer."

Itō shook her head furiously. "No, no. It's nothing!"

"Is that so." He moved his pawn on the board. "But it does worry me that he isn't capable of following the minimum amount of training that we have. He'll just have to do his best. If not, he'll never be accepted for matches."

"Indeed, it'll be hard for Nijimura-san to agree and allow Kuroko-san to play in official matches with the state he is in now." It was Itō's turn to move her piece. "But I believe in Kuroko-san. I'm sure that he'll prove himself useful soon."

"Aa. I do hope that that's the case in the interexchange match tomorrow." Akashi shut his eyes and smiled. "By the way, Itō-san…"

The ash brown-haired girl stared at the board, her eyes blinking and widening at her loss. "When did you…?!"

"You seemed rather out of focus during the game. Did I say something that bothered you just now?"

"N-no…"

"Your face shows otherwise though."

Akashi heaved a quiet sigh. He did not quite understand why he was bothered by the strange behaviour Itō was displaying, yet he knew for certain that this rare unsettling feeling of his would persist if she did not provide an answer to her worried expression. He did not like this feeling at all.

"Itō, could you pass me your phone?"

"My phone?"

Akashi took the phone from the bemused girl and took out his. He then pressed the buttons on both phones and flipped them close, handing one of them back to her.

"Good. Call or text me when you're ready to talk about it."

"W-what?!"

"It is as I just said. Since you don't seem to want to share what you're worried about right now, and I am concerned about it."

"Akashi-san…"

"Also, I won't be able to visit this room next week."

"Because of your other commitments at school?"

"No, I will be absent from school for the entire week next week due to some family matters."

"I see…did you record your number on my phone so that I could inform you about the basketball club while you're away?"

"You could say so."

Itō was not entirely wrong about his intention since she was the assistant manager and he was the vice-captain of the club.

But that was not the _main_ reason.

* * *

While Akashi had predicted Haizaki's absence in today's informal inter-exchange match against Nanbara and Kuroko would replace him as a substitute on the starting lineup, he did not expect Kuroko to act like a newborn fawn on the court.

The buzzer went off for the first quarter. The vice-captain immediately received the ball from Murasakibara who started the tip off and jogged to the other side of the court with the new member.

"Stay calm, Kuroko-kun. First, take it easy…"

But before Akashi's words could calm down Kuroko's nerves, the light blue-head had already tripped and fallen onto the ground, his face facing the floor. It took a second for the redhead to digest the _thump_ sound he had just head and turn his head around to verify his worst fear.

"I'm sorry. I tripped on my own foot…" The inexperienced boy stood back up. "I'm fine." Blood started falling from Kuroko's nose.

Akashi stated in a concerned tone, "No, you're not fine at all."

As a result, Kuroko was sent back to the bench.

"That's impossible…" Murasakibara grumbled.

"Tetsu…" Aomine muttered.

"Subbed out after one second…" Midorima uttered.

Akashi needed to let his teammates know that he had not intended Kuroko to underperform like this in an official match. "This is definitely beyond my expectations."

"Well, small lectures will come later," said Nijimura, his disappointed eyes darting at Akashi. "For now, win."

With that, the captain of Teikō's basketball team, who was also the best power forward among all middle schoolers, took the court by storm and was in no time reprimanded by the coach for not holding back. Kuroko was substituted back, but his underperformance continued.

"Out of bounds. Black ball."

Murasakibara had reached his limit. The extremely poor pass he had just failed to catch from Kuroko made the purplehead grow irritated as he squinted his large hand on Kuroko's head

"Hey, what was that all about? Playing around?"

"I'm not playing around."

"I'm going to crush you."

"Please don't crush me."

Bothered by his teammates' reaction towards Kuroko, the vice-captain pondered whether Kuroko's mistakes were due to his nerves or his failure to make the play-style of misdirection truly his.

Unsurprisingly, this question continued occupying Akashi's mind during the lunch break between the matches, even after Teikō's victory in the first match. Akashi understood both the coach and his teammates were disappointed not only at Kuroko, but also at his trust in the newcomer's abilities on court. Did he place too high expectations on Kuroko? But he had confidence in Kuroko's ability. Kuroko had been fine during the test; all his passes connected and it was not the case that the effectiveness of his misdirection had reduced. Besides, he knew that Itō had faith in Kuroko's ability to shine on court. If only he could find the reason for Kuroko's underperformance just now and be the trigger to alter it...

" _Huh? Isn't this Mine-chin's wallet?"_

" _Where did he go?"_

" _To the convenience store."_

" _I'll deliver it."_

Akashi's mind returned to the conversation his fellow teammates were having as he saw the wallet that Murasakibara had just thrown hopping on Kuroko's hand and ultimately falling onto the ground.

"Please don't toss it so suddenly."

 _But Kuroko had known that Murasakibara was throwing the wallet at him._

"Huh. But you're the one who was too slow to catch it."

 _Kuroko's slow reaction...that's it._

A smile slipped through Akashi's smile. He finally found the reason for Kuroko's underperformance.

* * *

Interestingly, Kuroko was called in on court for the second half of the afternoon match against Haranishi Junior High. The vice-captain speculated that this was all thanks to Aomine's help.

It was now the third quarter. The score was 31 to 33 with Teikō leading.

Akashi approached the slightly nervous Kuroko. "You need to correct your passing speed. The first-stringers are agile."

"Pardon me?"

"Start a step sooner than with second or third-stringers or you won't make it. In short, it's a matter of timing. Misdirection becomes vastly effective only when you can control your on-court presence. To do that, don't openly show your emotions."

Akashi pointed his finger at Kuroko's chest. "Fighting spirit is necessary, but keep it inside."

Kuroko took a deep breath. His eyes suddenly became expressionless. He seemed to have fully understood the advice from his vice-captain.

Akashi dribbled the ball against his opponents and passed the ball to Kuroko.

In a blink of a second, Midorima was holding the same ball that appeared out of nowhere. _When it functions, the change is this drastic, Kuroko?_ The greenhead thought.

The ball made another curve towards Murasakibara who then dunked it into the basket.

 _I'm getting pass after pass from Aka-chin with impossible timing. This is super easy_ , thought Murasakibara.

With Kuroko on court, Teikō won the match briskly as a result.

When Kuroko was officially announced as a regular of the Teikō Junior High Basketball Team the following week, Akashi and Itō exchanged smiles.

* * *

"I'm back home!"

Itō's voice was greeted by the silence enclosing the dark room. She switched on the bright lights and placed her bag of groceries on the floor, humming again to a happy tune as she began preparing the dishes; tonight was another rare night when she would not be having dinner alone.

 _Bzzz._

The busy teenage girl's eyes travelled from the soup ladle she was sipping from to the school bag from where the buzzing sound came. She took her phone out from the bag and flipped it open. The corners of her mouth curled up into a sad smile as she read the message her mother had just sent her:

 _Sorry, Saya._

 _It turns out I won't be having dinner at home tonight after all. There's a client meeting that I must attend. I won't be back until after midnight._

Itō had lost count of the number of times she had received the same message from her mother the past years. It could not be helped. Her mother had been working hard to bear a much larger portion of their household income the recent years.

As for Itō's father, he was on a trip in Hokkaidō for the preliminary matches of the prestigious _Meijin_ title. She was quite certain that he would be back soon, his dispirited self locked away once again in his room to continue his training.

She tilted her head down at the hot dishes on the table: they would have to be stored as leftovers again.

 _Bzzz._

Itō flickered her eyes at the phone, her eyes widening at the name her phone was displaying; she hastily flicked open her phone and read the message:

 _This is Akashi._

 _I just wanted to make sure that our messages go through each other's phone. Message me if you've received this._

 _And when you're ready, do tell me what you were worried about the other day._

 _Have a good evening._

A softened smile graced Itō's lips. She wondered whether the redhead knew he had texted her at the right time.

He must have not known, but it did not matter.

Because this was the real Akashi Itō knew.

And she felt warmth for the first time in her life.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kuroko no Basuke_ written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation teams for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the manga and anime that are used in this fanfiction.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

So…...I'm back! I struggled with this chapter for a while and was dissatisfied with it so I left it and ended up going on a hiatus. ;_; I'm so, so sorry for the late update, everyone!

Finally done with Kuroko's introduction! So much happened in this chapter so it is much longer than I expected. I made Momoi meet and develop a crush for Kuroko earlier than the timeline in both the manga and anime.

Reviews!

 **. .much** : The GOM are forever adorable uhuhu Thank you! The interactions between Itō and Akashi are slow and steady because I'm still trying to develop their relationship without Akashi being too OOC :) Next chapter is definitely focused on the drama of the Akashi household~!

 **Wikked** : Again thank you so much for supporting this story! I'm terribly sorry for the hiatus! Please look forward to the next chapter and I promise I'll never abandon this story. :) It's definitely more exciting and original than this chapter that mainly focuses on introducing Kuroko into the story. haha

 **Hyuuga Senpai** and **RockaRosalie** : Thank you so much for your support! It means a lot to me :'D


	7. Successor of the Akashi Household

**Chapter 6: Successor of the Akashi Household**

* * *

To say the Akashi household was wealthy was an understatement.

Hanging over the high ceiling, the chandelier dimly illuminated the spacious dining room where four servants stood, their gaze locked at their two masters savouring exquisite dishes on the long wooden table covered in a white linen cloth.

A deep voice broke the slow rhythm of utensils tinkling against the china. "What do you think of our partnership with the Nagamori family, Seijūrō?"

"The head of the Nagamori family seemed satisfied with the proposal you made during last night's dinner, so our family's partnership with the Nagamori family has a promising future if things go according to plan," said Akashi.

"Good. You should be able to handle this sort of business deal in the near future as the heir. But note that one must be aggressive and ruthless when it comes to seizing opportunities. We will be acquiring Nagamori's railway company when the time is ripe. Do you understand why?"

"Yes, father."

"Then that's fine. Also, I hear your team won the national championships."

"Yes."

"How is your schoolwork looking?"

"There is no problem regarding that."

"Hmm." Akashi Masaomi sipped his cup of Earl Grey tea. "Keep doing what you've always done with the two areas. Being versed in letters and arms, a man from the Akashi family must excel in all fields. However, even that is just a way to pursue your goals. The most important thing is the goals brought by prestige: they are also considered "victories". Do you understand, Seijūrō?"

Akashi's empty gaze stayed fixed on his clean plate. "Yes, father."

The dreary silence was suddenly broken the buzzing sound that came from Akashi's phone. He took the phone out from his pocket, his curious eyes travelling to the name on the display. He then pushed his seat away from the table.

"Please excuse my rudeness. I will be back."

Masaomi lifted one eye at his son's direction. "You're going to answer the phone call when dinner is not done yet?"

"It seems like it is an important phone call about the basketball club. Please excuse me then, father."

The four servants bowed at Akashi as he stood up from his chair and headed out of the door.

Masaomi wiped his mouth with the embroidered handkerchief lying on his lap, then raised his voice to Watanabe Hiroki, his long-acquainted butler, standing behind him. "When has he started behaving like this, Hiroki?"

"Pardon me, master?"

"You have noticed his slight change, haven't you? After all, you've been serving our family before Seijūrō was born."

"Y-yes." Watanabe made an apologetic bow. "I apologise for not answering straight away. The young master's slight change began since attending Teikō Junior High."

"Since attending the school that he chose himself, huh." His piercing gaze flickered to Watanabe. "He also ordered the chauffeur not to fetch him to and from school after the first day, am I correct?"

"Yes, master."

"And do you have an idea whom Seijūrō is answering right now?"

"Unfortunately, I do not know the answer."

Masaomi shut his eyes and ordered in a slightly disappointing tone, "Keep a closer eye on him from now on, Hiroki."

"Understood."

"Also," said Masaomi as he took another sip from his tea, "bring me the pile of arranged marriage proposals when we return to Tōkyo tomorrow."

"B-but," Watanabe stuttered, "may I dare say the young master is still far too young for this…!"

"Don't worry, Hiroki. It will just be an initial introduction that won't develop into anything more serious. It'll serve as a good reminder of how Seijūrō should behave and what he should be focusing on right now." Masaomi placed his cup of tea on the plate again, his eyes laid on the portrait of his son, his deceased wife, Shioi, and himself. "Seijūrō needs a reminder of his duties as a successor of the Akashi household."

* * *

"Akashi-san, sorry for calling you this late at night. Did I disturb your dinner?"

"No, it's fine," assured Akashi who stood alone in the corridor. "I was the one who asked you to call me when you're ready to talk to me about that day. So?"

He heard a chuckle from the other end of the phone.

"I called to give you a report of the basketball club."

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I thought you would be finally willing to share what you were worried about that day."

"Ah, about that…Are you still concerned about it?"

"I am."

There was a moment of pause.

"It was nothing. Besides, it's been almost a week already. Please don't worry about that."

Akashi did not quite understand why he was disappointed at Itō's answer. "So, about the report…"

"Ah, yes. As usual, Kuroko-san is getting used to the training regime for the first-stringers. Midorima-san and Murasakibara-san are starting to accept Kuroko-san but Nijimura-san is still showing his concern about him...Akashi-san?"

It had only been less than a week since he had last heard her voice, and he had already missed the soothing effect her voice always managed to create.

"Yes? I'm listening."

He could hear another chuckle from Itō's side.

"It just seems rather quiet at your end. How are things going for you in Kyōto?"

"Everything's going according to plan. I'll be heading back to Tōkyo tomorrow."

"I see." Another moment of pause transpired. "I'm glad that you're coming back soon."

Akashi smiled. "Aa."

He was glad too.

"Akashi-sama. **"**

He turned his head to a familiar figure standing behind him: it was Watanabe, the butler who had taken care of Akashi since the day he had been born and whose family had served for the Akashi household for generations.

"Was that—"

"Sorry, Itō-san," Akashi interjected. "I have to cut off the line now."

"O-oh, I see. I'll talk to you at school then."

"Yes. Have a good night."

"Goodnight."

The second Akashi flipped his phone, Watanabe spoke up. "Akashi-sama, I apologise for intruding, but your father is still in the dining room waiting for your return."

"I understand. Sorry for taking so long."

On the way to the dining room, Watanabe raised his voice once more. "Akashi-sama, may I ask whom you were previously talking to?"

"It was just someone from school. You don't have to be concerned about it."

"I understand..."

He gathered that his father must have been the one who had sent Watanabe to fetch more information about his life outside home, something that he would like to be kept private for now.

* * *

It was supposed to be another peaceful evening for the Generation of Miracles, along with Momoi and Itō, upon Akashi's return, with them leaving the school grounds and parting ways after taking a quick visit to the convenient store, but the sight of a limousine and a butler standing outside the gates disrupted their usual rhythm of life.

Aomine was the first person to comment on the unusual sight. "I wonder what kind of brat would put on such a flashy display at our school."

Murasakibara slipped a _Maiubo_ popsicle into his mouth, his sluggish eyes fixed at the limousine. "I didn't know we have a rich student like that in our school."

"It's my first time seeing a limousine like this parked at our school," commented Momoi.

Itō nodded in agreement.

"You idiots," said Midorima as he raised his glasses up, "I can't believe you guys didn't know that—"

"Akashi-sama."

The five students flipped their heads to the butler who had just called Akashi with a prefix that they had only heard from his fangirls at school.

"A-AKASHI-SAMA!?"

Midorima was the only person who did not blurt out their vice-captain's name, and he certainly did not appreciate his line being interrupted.

Moving past the curious eyes, Akashi walked towards the butler who made a polite bow.

"Your father has sent me and the chauffeur to pick you up from school today."

"Aa. I know, Watanabe," Akashi stated, his tone flat and firm.

He turned his head to his still startled teammates and bid goodbye to them before Watanabe could reveal anything more than necessary. "I'm sorry but I can't leave with you all today. I shall see you all tomorrow then." Akashi smiled and took his leave, returning his teammates a peaceful afternoon that had taken a slight turn today.

"Hmm~ So Akashi's the rich boy. Nothing surprising there," muttered Murasakibara, his stare lingering on the limousine that soon disappeared in sight.

Aomine started shivering as he recalled what he had said when he had spotted the limousine. "H-he heard me call him "brat"…"

Momoi ignored her childhood friend's unease since he had brought that on himself. "What kind of family is Akashi-kun from…"

"You guys really are idiots." Midorima began to continue where he had been intervened. "I can't believe that you guys didn't know such basic facts about your vice-captain."

"Because we don't stalk Akashi like you do," Aomine blurted.

"I DON'T," Midorima shouted. He then cleared his throat to calm himself down. "Don't tell me there's no one here who hasn't heard of the family name "Akashi"."

Everyone shook their head unanimously.

Midorima heaved a sigh at his teammates' level of ignorance. "Fine, I'll enlighten you all. Akashi is the only family in this neighbourhood that is descended from one of the four noble clans that still remains today. This family is well-known here for not only that but also for being the owner of a well-known financial group."

"Huh. So Akashi has been keep his background low-key," said Aomine. "Well, whatever. It's not like it's something that I'd care about."

"Heh~ I always knew Akashi-kun is amazing, but not like that," Momoi commented.

Itō remained silent, her eyes tilted down to the bag that contained a knitted scarf that was incomplete.

* * *

Throughout the car ride, Watanabe observed his young master, whose pensive eyes were laid on the hazy buildings beyond the windows running in loops. The atmosphere between him and Akashi had always been quiet, comfortably so. However, Watanabe fully understood that the quiet air shared between them in this car ride was not the usual, comfortable one.

"Akashi-sama, please understand why your father—"

"Yes, I understand."

Watanabe could sense Akashi's unusual annoyance seeping through his tone.

"He has noticed your slight change in behaviour lately."

"That, I know too, Watanabe."

Watanabe let out a soft sigh. He should know by now that both Akashi and his father never liked speaking out their observations and thoughts. Although he had always wondered whether his two masters realised that they bore a very close resemblance with each other in this aspect.

"Your father is willing to overlook your behaviour and allow you to continue and travel to and from school by yourself if you go to an arranged marriage meeting that he has just accepted."

"An arranged marriage meeting?" Akashi finally tossed his head to Watanabe's direction. "I thought father has declined all of them since I'm not of age yet. Besides, I cannot see how they would aid me in achieving the goals that father has in mind either, at least for the time being."

While Akashi's answer was sensible and logical, it was not one that considered factors in the long-term. Watanabe could tell that the teenager still lacked experience and a vision, both of which he would develop in time. Whether the teenager would become as ruthless as his father when it came to achieving goals and protecting the interests of the Akashi household would depend on himself.

"Your father did not directly decline them; he only postponed them. I told your father that it is far too early for you to meet a potential suitor."

Judging by the look of Akashi's faltering eyes, it was indeed too early for him to accept an arranged marriage proposal. But seeing how Akashi had always accepted and respected his father's decisions, Watanabe was certain that the teenager would not make an exception for this time either, especially when he understood that further declining a proposal that his father had already accepted would bring shame upon the Akashi family, staining its prestige and reputation.

"I will go. When is the meeting?"

Watanabe was right.

* * *

The arranged marriage meeting took place in a rainy afternoon. The soft tap of raindrops could be heard inside a luxurious hotel lobby where the current descendents of the Akashi clan and the Fujiwara clan met—for the second time. The two families greeted each other with a polite bow and took their seats on opposite sides of the lounge table.

"Thank you so much for accepting our proposal." The father of the Fujiwara family bowed again, this time much lower.

Masaomi bowed in return, though not nearly so deeply. "I should be the one thanking you. I apologise for not being able to reply to your proposal for so long."

"No, no. Please don't say that! It's our honour to be able to meet the Akashi family again, especially in a meeting like this."

"Don't be so formal, Kunimitsu. We have known each other long enough to drop the formalities."

"But everyone has looked up on the Akashi family. Besides, this meeting means a lot to us. It would be rude of us to talk to you so casually like we used to in the past." Kunimitsu turned his direction to Akashi, the fine lines on the corners of his mouth folding as he smiled gently. "And I'm glad to see your son again. I still remember how he was only an elementary student but already behaving so maturely in our social event a few years ago."

Akashi greeted Kunimitsu once more with a bow. "It has been a while, Fujiwara-san. I hope you have been doing well."

Kunimitsu's deep laughter resonated in the damp air. "Your child has been raised well, Masaomi."

Masaomi cast his sceptical eyes to his son, then quickly rested them on Kunimitsu's daughter. "And your daughter has grown into a beautiful young lady. Fujiwara Katsumi, wasn't?"

The daughter of the Fujiwara family nodded coyly. She was undoubtedly a beauty, with her delicate features blending well on her pearl white skin and under her long, black hair. Although what awed Masaomi was the poise she displayed at such a young age—it was polished and refined, like that of a perfect Lady, and befitting the heir of the Akashi household.

"Thank you for your kind words, Akashi-sama." Fujiwara's black eyes flew over to Akashi. "I hope you still remember me…" She hesitated for a moment, and said softly, "Seijūrō-kun."

"Of course I do. It's been a while, Fujiwara-san."

Fujiwara blushed, the corners of her lips curling slightly upwards and her head tilting down to face her small fidgeting fingers. "B-because of your usual accomplishments, your name has even spread to our school. People kept on asking me about you. Everyone is looking forward to what you'll accomplish next." She lifted her head up and put it back down as soon as her eyes met Akashi's. "I-Including me…"

"Is that so."

Masaomi glanced at Akashi, his expression showing a slight disapproval at his son's response. With victories come compliments and expectations, and Akashi had always known how to correctly answer them. So why did he choose to respond in such an unrefined way now?

Suddenly, a warm smile formed on Akashi's cold face, as though he was recalling a memory that Masaomi did not know. He had never seen his son radiate such a smile ever since his beloved wife, Shioi, had passed away. He had always thought Akashi would share the same grief from which he had been feeling the past two years. What exactly happened at school that caused his son to smile in a way like he had used to during the time spent with Shioi? Or rather, _who_ was responsible for Akashi's change and provoked Masaomi's mind to recall the memories with his son and wife that he had tried so hard to lock away? There was no doubt this bothered Masaomi.

"Seijūrō-kun?"

Masaomi turned his attention to Fujiwara, who blinked a few times in surprise at the side of Akashi that the both of them were not familiar with.

Unbothered by the startled looks on their faces, Akashi responded, a warm smile still hanging on his face, "Thank you for your kind words, Fujiwara-san. I didn't know that my name would spread to other schools when I haven't really done much."

Fujiwara shook her head. "You certainly have, Seijūrō-kun! Ever since elementary school you've been dominating in all sorts of competitions with your victories!"

Kunimitsu let out another heavy laugh. "My child has been admiring you ever since she first met you in our social event."

"Father!"

Masaomi smiled faintly. "It's certainly our honour to hear such a beautiful and accomplished girl like Katsumi-san complimenting Seijūrō."

Kunimitsu caught his daughter flustering once more. "My, my. Katsumi is certainly beyond joy right now."

"Father! You don't have to say that…!" Fujiwara threw a quick glimpse at Akashi and Masaomi, her red cheeks showing her embarrassment of her father's words. "I-I'm sorry for my rudeness just now..."

Masaomi's smile grew wider at the amusement Fujiwara provided. "Don't worry about it, Katsumi."

"Ah, right." The creases at the corners of Kunimitsu's eyes folded further again as he grinned at his flustered daughter. "Katsumi, isn't there something that you'd like to ask Akashi?"

"A-ah! Yes..." Fujiwara bent her head down, twitching her fingers once more. "Seijūrō-kun, your birthday is coming soon, right?"

"Yes, it is."

She raised her head and spoke to Akashi in a passionate voice, "If you don't mind...I-I would like to host a party for you on your birthday!"

It was an unexpected idea that Masaomi welcomed.

"Thank you for your offer bu—"

"But we'll gladly accept your kind offer, Katsumi-san," Masaomi interrupted Akashi's sentence, fully knowing that his son would decline the offer. "Seijūrō and I shall look forward to it."

Perhaps only the former.

* * *

On the night after the arranged marriage meeting had taken place, Akashi was as his usual self, remaining silent during the entire dinner until Masaomi finally spoke.

"Do you understand why I accepted the arranged marriage proposal even though you're not of age yet, Seijūrō?"

"Yes, father."

"And why I accepted Katsumi's offer to host your birthday?"

"Yes. It is to solidify our relationship with the Fujiwara family."

"Then that's good. The Fujiwara family has a large share over the Bank of Mitsubishi and may be of help to our company's investments in the future." Masaomi reached for his usual cup of tea, his eyes locked at his own reflection on the pitch-black surface of the water. "Continue with whatever you're doing at school. As long as you understand your priorities as the heir of the Akashi household…" He lifted his face and looked at his son. "And that the extra-curriculars are, as they stand, _extra_ activities that you may engage in as long as you continue winning."

"I understand."

"Also," said Masaomi, recalling the unfamiliar smile his son had showed during the meeting with the Fujiwara family, "know your place. Even though I allow you to attend a normal public school as you requested, that does not mean I could tolerate you being influenced by children who are from a different class."

The dining room became quiet again as Masaomi sipped his black tea, awaiting his son's acknowledgement.

"Yes, father."

The only sound that followed Akashi's reply was the soft clinking of Masaomi's teacup and the saucer. Masaomi's gaze was still on Akashi, whose blank eyes were rested on his plate as they usually did every night.

"While this arranged marriage proposal will not be progressed further for the time being, do bear in mind that Fujiwara Katsumi is an appropriate candidate for you to continue the legacy of the Akashi household."

Again, Masaomi waited for his son's answer, but he did not receive one this time.

"Seijūrō?"

"I understand, father."

* * *

Akashi did not walk home with his teammates ever since that day.

After the basketball club ended, he would always either be the first or last person to leave school. Other than that, he believed that his attitude at school was not that much different than normal. Even if someone else had noticed his slight change, he convinced himself that they would simply push aside their confusion and not give it much thought.

This was what he wanted after all.

But the familiar soft voice that called for him in the empty corridor reminded him that there was one exception in the back of his mind. The voice called for him again, this time louder and accompanied by hastening footsteps.

"Akashi-san!"

Akashi turned around to confirm his suspicion. "Itō-san."

When was the last time he called her name? He did not remember. When did he last see her face? He also did not remember. Had he been avoiding her lately? He was not sure. Strange. Akashi had always been certain about his thoughts and actions and able to retain his memories accurately. So why did his mind decide to rebel against its usual behaviour when it came to Itō?

Also, why were her hazelnut eyes staring at him with such concern?

Akashi did not know, and this bothered him.

Before he could excuse himself and brush these unsettling feelings aside, Itō spoke up.

"Are you free right now? There's something I'd like to show you."

"Sorry, but I—"

"Just follow me."

What Itō did next took him by surprise. In a blink of an eye he found her fingers wrapped around his wrist, deepening the folds on his sleeves. He blinked at Itō, who lifted her head up and looked at him with a welcoming smile. She then turned around and began walking at a brisk pace, her hand still on his wrist, leading him the way. He followed her every step, his confused eyes locked on her ash-brown hair bouncing in gentle waves above her waist. The magical moment came to a halt when she pushed open the door that led to the rooftop of the school building.

"This is…"

The evening rays glided through the door gap and entered Akashi's scarlet eyes, causing them to twitch. He hovered one hand over his forehead to shield against the strong rays, and took a long gaze at the sky soaked in all gradients of orange that were separated by the thin streaks of clouds.

"Isn't the sunset beautiful? I've always wanted to show you this, but I never got the chance to...especially these days."

Akashi bent his head to Itō's side. "You wanted to show this to me?"

Itō pursed her lips into a soft smile, her face still facing towards the sunset. "I see that you've been unusually deep in thought lately, so I thought this scenery might ease your mind for a bit."

Akashi swung his head back to the sunset, contemplating its beauty in silence.

"Was I wrong?"

"No." The corners of Akashi's mouth curled upwards. "It's just...I don't remember how long it has been since I last thought a sunset was beautiful."

He heard a light chuckle escaping from her mouth.

"Well, you've always been the sort of person whose mind is always on something else even when looking at sceneries like this."

Akashi pondered over the possibility of anyone else he knew making an observation of him and telling him the way Itō had been doing the past months. The answer was clearly a "no". He remembered what she had said the first time they had met in the small unused room, that it must have been lonely for him to be strong. The realisation that that was truly how he had been feeling the past years only hit him during the arranged marriage meeting when Fujiwara mentioned how everyone had high expectations of him, leading him to smile and take his father and Fujiwara by surprise.

"It seems like whenever I'm with you I realise things that I haven't before."

Akashi understood fully now: it was Itō who introduced him the conflicting feelings of uncertainty and comfort, unknown feelings that oozed through him whenever he was around her.

"Is that a good thing?"

His eyelids closed calmly. "That I can't answer."

The two teenagers shared another moment of silence, their attention still focused on the sinking sun.

"I've been worried about you, Akashi-san."

"Me?" Akashi turned to Itō once more, his widened eyes noticing her nod.

"Did something happen recently?"

"Nothing in particular."

She let out a light sigh. "It's not something related to basketball, is it?"

The redhead remained silent.

"You've been distancing yourself from your teammates since the day we saw you leaving in a limousine."

There was no sign of hesitation in her tone; it was straightforward and unembellished. He knew Itō would have noticed his change, especially when they had stopped playing shōgi together the past weeks. Or rather, he _had_ _wanted_ her to notice his change.

"You've always been carrying so many expectations and responsibilities at school...and it seems like that's the case at home too."

The two teenagers twisted their heads to each other for the final time, their gaze locked on each other—one slightly bewildered, and the other soft and penetrating.

"It's okay to rely on us. And if you need someone to talk to...I'm always here." Itō smiled; it was a warm and comforting one that reassured him that it was okay to be with her and his teammates everyday, spending time with each other like they had always done.

Because things would be fine as long as he had her and his teammates.

And this was enough for him.

But why was his heart yearning for more? What was his heart exactly craving for?

All he knew for now was that he needed to stop this nonsense.

After all, he was the successor of the Akashi household.

* * *

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Kuroko no Basuke_ written by Fujimaki Tadatoshi-san. All credit to the wonderful people that contributed to the creation of the manga and anime for this series, and to the translation team for their hard work in putting on subtitles for the anime that are used in this fanfiction. There is also one scene in this chapter that is very loosely based on a high-quality Japanese fanmade _Kuroko no Basuke_ otome game called _Restart!_ made by Brilliant-colors. Thank you for the inspiration!

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

Happy Belated Birthday, Akashi!

And Merry Christmas, my dear readers!

Thank you _so much_ for the follows, favourites, and reviews! They really are my greatest motivation! :)

I wanted to post this chapter on Akashi's birthday but _gaaah_ I've been terribly busy so I didn't even manage to proofread it; I will soon though! I've finally arrived at this chapter where I could show how the way Akashi has been raised greatly affects his behaviour and way of thinking, and how he has already been developing a split personality at school and at home as suggested by the manga.

I refer to the fathers of Akashi and Fujiwara by their first name (Masaomi and Kunimitsu respectively) because it's easier to differentiate them that way. I hope it wasn't too confusing.

Reviews!

 **Wikked** : Aaaaah Thank you so much for your support! I'm back and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter because it is my favourite chapter by far :D Things will go a bit messy (and sad) in the later chapters, especially the next one.

 **OneWhoReadsTooMuch** : Hehe I'm very glad you enjoyed their subtle moments! This chapter contains moments that are still relatively subtle (but sweet!) since you know Akashi as a character :p Plus he has other priorities right now to take care of. Although I don't guarantee that the moments they'll share in Rakuzan to be as subtle. *wink*

P.S. Next chapter will be mainly in Fujiwara's perspective and revolve around Akashi's birthday party. It'll be an interesting chapter! Plus I'll reveal to you all why Fujiwara addresses Akashi by his first name. *wink*


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